Rags To Riches
by Painted With a Palette
Summary: Princess Kairi had always been treated with respect. She was so used to getting whatever she desired with the snap of a finger, it turned her into a selfish teenager. Only one boy seemed to have the balls to treat her like a regular human being instead of a goddess. AU. Sokai.
1. Prologue

She stood before the King with purpose latched tight to her posture. A row of men and women stood behind her. They all shared one evident physical imitation: the pauldron located on their left shoulders.

"All present and accounted for," a knight said.

Red steps led to the throne of a man with short silver hair, it complimented his aquamarine eyes. His eyes were stimulating. A crown rested on his head as he stood before the humble soldiers. His name was Hope, the twenty three year old king of Radiant Garden.

"We have reports of a heartless army making its way towards Radiant Garden as we speak. It is up to you, our brave soldiers, to put a stop to this before they kill the innocent."

He looked at _her. _She had silky rose tinted hair with blue eyes. Beauty defined her along with her blossomed twenty one years of age. The only thing that he desired that simply was not his. She held the trophy for being the mountain he just couldn't climb; the destination he couldn't reach, the obstacle he couldn't overcome.

"Claire Farron, as the leader, I trust that you will do whatever means necessary to protect our sacred land from treachery."

The young woman placed a hand on her chest as she bowed before him. "I've made an oath to protect Radiant Garden no matter what the cost, even if it means my life may be at stake." Her eyes were steady, pivoted with focused. "And please, your Majesty—call me Lightning."

Lightning rose to her feet. She turned to her group of Keyblade warriors. They sported metallic armor with broad shoulder pads clashed in gold and dark green colors.

"We will go to war with Master Xehanort. Some of us will live to eat another meal, and some of us may die in honor of defending Radiant Garden, but in any case—we shall fight with nobility. We have to work together and do whatever it takes to make sure that innocent lives are unhampered from the fear of an attack such as this. It's up to us as a unit. So, are we ready?"

The soldiers gave their leader a salute. "Yes ma'am!"

Her eyes rested on three soldiers in particular. One of them tall with broad shoulders, brown hair reached to the base of his neck as his locks were styled messily. The second one was a woman. She had short blue hair and her eyes were reminiscent of bluebell flowers. The third was a man who was slightly younger and shorter than the two before him. He had golden blond spiky hair and blue eyes.

They marked her most trusted companions and she was undoubtedly closest to them. Their battling skills were polished, free from major scratches.

"Terra, Aqua, Ventus," she addressed them, "I will be counting on you to give it your all."

They nodded. Potential sacrifices came with the territory of being a skilled warrior.

"Alright, we're off."

The soldiers all dashed out of the palace, but Lightning felt a hand gently grab her by the arm. She turned around to see King Hope. He looked at her sincerely.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

He let out a weary breath as he smiled at her. Did she detect melancholy in that smile? "Claire—or uh, Lightning…"

Her pupils were paused in the moment, her ears ready to hang on every word he was about to release.

"Be safe, okay?"

Her eyebrows rose slightly. He seemed so genuine. Was she not merely a soldier to him? A tool used to protect his land from common threats? He couldn't have thought of her as anything more special than that, right? Impossible. Their relationship was strictly professional. He was only concerned that his top warrior would get hurt, that was all.

She nodded as reassurance. She zipped out to join the others. Hope slouched back onto his throne. All energy in the room was sucked out along with her. "Maybe I'm in love…" he said quietly to himself.

The combatants continued the sprint. All at once, they smashed their palms against the pauldron on their left shoulders. Their bodies soon locked tight within metallic armor suits. Light illuminated from their palms, revealing the weapons that chose them for their strong hearts—Keyblades. The Keyblades transformed into gliders, and its chosen wielders hopped atop of them. They rode them to the destination point.

In the midst of nowhere, assemblies of heartless marched towards Radiant Garden. In their view over the horizon, a confinement of humble buildings stood oblivious. An old man watched below from above on a cliff, basking in his own genius. His dark aura motivated him to destroy every city he came across until he found the _one _that could open the door to darkness. His rest would be delayed until he met that goal.

His bald face sneered malevolently. His broad, hunched shoulders attested to his weakening state. His shabby posture didn't do anything to his mentality; still he was as sharp as he once was as a young man. He watched as his heartless army sauntered towards Radiant Garden. His influence on them was undeniable.

"At last, the door to darkness will be mines…"

He had a good feeling that this time he had found the man who bears the Key that could open the door. With that power, he could finally gain all of the darkness he desired. Darkness could reign across the world, and he'd be there to control countless lives.

In the distance, Keyblade gliders headed his way. He should have known that it would not have been too easy. He gestured with his hand and commanded his heartless army to attack the attempting ambush.

The Keybladers landed on the dirt below as their true bodies were once again revealed. Lightning faced them.

"You guys will handle the heartless. I'll be as much help as I can, but sooner or later, I'm going up to confront Xehanort."

"Lightning, no," Aqua said with a worrisome look. "You can't do that—he's way too strong."

Her words gave Lightning no effect. "Don't worry about me. Just focus on hindering these heartless from continuing."

Aqua sighed, but nodded. "As you wish."

Lightning nodded back. "This is what you guys have been training for ever since you were recruited. Let's make it count."

The wielders all summoned their Keyblade, scurrying to the heartless with their weapons ready. The two forces collided with a brutal clash. The Keybladers slashed their way through the heartless, swinging their weapons with passion. They fought valiantly, effortlessly taking down arrays of heartless with simple whips.

Lightning was the star. She used her techniques and skills at full throttle as she swiped the heartless deceased. She gave a new meaning to poetry in motion. She poised her head up to see Master Xehanort watching the entire scene unfold. Surely he didn't think that he was going to just relax while they all did the dirty work—did he? Using her agility, she dashed her way up the cliff until she was face to face with the man who caused this devastation. He smirked at her unmoved face with his eye fixated on her physique. She might be a little tougher than the other opponents he's had in his time. Lightning got into a stance.

"Come now," the old man spoke, his voice was raspy, "a frail female picking a fight with a renowned Keyblade Master? I should find this quite humorous. Yet the lack of it being a surprise hinders me."

She gripped her Keyblade tighter. "Don't. I'm not as weak as you may think. If you don't believe me, then see for yourself!" She pointed the Keyblade at him threateningly. "I cannot confirm your safety. If we take part in battle, your life may be at stake."

Master Xehanort chuckled. "I think it is you who should be forewarned." Master Xehanort beckoned his own Keyblade.

Lightning's eyes simmered with concentration. She took the first move as she sprinted towards him with the Keyblade following behind her. She lunged at him with a battle cry and struck first, but the old man had excellent reflexes and was able to parry her challenge.

It wasn't long before the two Masters clashed Keyblades. Neither showcased any signs of vulnerability for even a split second.

Lightning had been training for this day for a long time—ever since this cruel man destroyed her home town, Bodhum, when she was just a little girl. She lost her mother that day with her father narrowly escaping, and thousands were killed because of this outrageous barbarian. When she grew up, she trained herself to be a skilled combatant. She could protect the innocent, and she went under a new alias as Lightning. She traveled until she found a home in Radiant Garden where she made acquaintance with King Hope Estheim. She swore to serve under his kingdom. She vowed that if Xehanort ever tried to pull what he did on Radiant Garden in the same matter he did with Bodhum, she'd end his reign—permanently.

Lightning somersaulted as she came crashing down on Xehanort with her Keyblade ready to finish the job, but he blocked her once again, causing her to hurdle back. Luckily, she was able to land on her feet crouched. She quickly spun back up and pointed the Keyblade to the sky.

Bolts of electricity came crashing down on Master Xehanort, the impact caused him to stumble onto the ground. The bolts bounced Xehanort around as if he were a globe in pinball machine. Lightning jumped at him with her Keyblade ready.

Master Xehanort was no pushover; he flipped back to avoid Lightning's lunge and blasted several orange energy bolts towards her direction. This was child's play for the female warrior. She guarded herself from every attack swiftly without breaking a sweat.

Master Xehanort was impressed at her skill. She was much more resourceful than he originally depicted. Lightning came down, pretending to hit him with a slash. Xehanort raised his Keyblade in an effort to protect his self, but was surprised that she simply landed before him. Lightning did a spin-swipe, hitting him directly in the gut, causing him to hunch over. She used her elbow to smash into his back, grabbed him by the collar, and tossed him to the side.

Lightning summoned energy spheres to manifest. As she pointed her Keyblade at Master Xehanort, she commanded them to attack him with full force. When the smoke cleared, Xehanort looked exhausted. He was hardly able to stand. Lightning looked over the edge and noticed that the heartless were lessened dramatically. This mission was flowing smoothly. Perhaps, too smoothly.

She pressed her feet against the ground and held her Keyblade in the air, threatening to stab him right in the heart—assuming he had one. She smashed the Keyblade down, penetrating it into the dirt. Xehanort looked at her intently, wondering why she didn't put an end to him. His eyes begged answers.

"I'm not you," she said in her monotone. "I'm no killer. No matter how many lives you put at risk, no matter how many of my loved ones you kill, I can't condone myself into murder. If that'd be the case, I'd be no better than you.

She spoke as if he had never heard that tired speech before. "And that's why you're a fool, Miss Farron."

Her eyes averted towards the ground. "You're probably right. But either way, I'm not going to allow you to perform these vicious acts of yours any longer. Consider your little agenda adjourned."

She took a few steps to look out at the battle field. It looked like the heartless had been cleared out. There wasn't an enemy in sight. She saw her fellow soldiers crowding around something. She launched into the air and dove down head first, quickly twirling her feet towards the ground at the last second.

She shoved her way through the crowd despite them moving out of her way. She noticed how bruised up and battered they all looked. Once she made it to the scene, she gasped. In the middle, there was Ventus. Blood trickled down from the side of his open mouth, and his eyes were mellow and lifeless. He looked…peaceful.

Aqua was holding him. She looked up at Lightning with her tear stained cheeks. Ventus was like a little brother to her.

Lightning hunkered down to level with him. He weakly turned his head to face her. His lips formed a small curve.

"How you holdin' up, soldier?"

"I think I got hit by one of those heartless one…too many times…"

She took his hand and held it. "We'll get you through this, alright?"

His smile was killing her. Why was he so casual about this? Why was he so peaceful? This wasn't the end. If they hurried, they could get him some help and he'd be fine.

"I'm not gonna lose you. Come on, Ven. Toughen up!"

He turned his head to look back at the clouds. They were slowly pacing across the sky. It looked so serene.

"Sorry…" were Ventus' final words before his face froze. Aqua broke down. The other soldiers bowed their heads in honor, the males who cried only shed a few tears, and females didn't hold back any repressed emotions.

Lightning's eyes were watery. Was she about to cry? She hadn't cried in sixteen years. Man up, Lightning. This is no time to be getting emotional. What happened—happened, and there is nothing she can do to fix it. She held the tears back as she used two fingers to close his eyes, so that he could remain at peace.

Lightning stood up and looked at Radiant Garden. The important thing was that she was able to keep that land of bliss safe.

"Now what do we do, ma'am?" one of the soldiers asked.

"We take Ven back to the castle. He deserves a proper burial."

"And what about Master Xehanort?"

"Don't worry about him. He's going to be locked up for a long time. I'll make sure he doesn't see the light of day ever again."

* * *

**Rags To Riches**

* * *

_Sixteen Years Later…_

A knock was heard on the door, fluttering her ignorant eyes open.

"Miss Estheim? Your mother requests that you wake up for breakfast."

She outstretched her arms as she sat up on top of her royal mattress. She gazed at her big, generally pink, fluffy room. The walls were a bright shade; her bed had the finest sheets man could offer as they cast off silver white coloring that was absolutely stunning when radiated in the sunlight. She kicked her legs out of her bed as her comforter spilled across, rubbing her eyes as she dragged her way to the door. She was in an elegant nightgown.

She opened it to reveal a butler. His beard was intimidating. Perhaps you could hide a wad of cash in that groomed grey of madness.

"Princess Kairi—"

"I heard you the first time."

Kairi was the daughter of Queen Claire and King Hope, making her the princess of Radiant Garden. Despite being worth a fortune, the everyday duties of being a respected princess had its downfalls. Waking up to go to mandatory breakfast was always severely tiring. Why couldn't she just wake up at her own leisure? This procedure led to very irritable days for the princess in the art of bitchiness.

"I'll be down there in a moment. Tell mother that I have no interest in attending the Radiant Garden Kingdom's festivities."

"But Miss Kairi—"

**WHAM! **His eyes met with the door. If the butler's reflexes weren't so good, he would have most definitely gotten his nose broken. However, he was used to this sort of circumstance. He made his way downstairs to inform the queen.

Kairi went into her closet and pulled out a very stylish dress. It had seams and shaped pattern pieces with blue and green colors. How boring. Day in and day out, it was dresses, dresses, dresses. Dresses were overrated. All they did was tug on your body for dear life, suffocating any poor female (or male, if he so desires that kind of attire) to a near breathing halt.

As Kairi made her way down the curved stairs, holding onto the hem of her dress, she noted her mother and father waiting for her at the table. The sunlight greeted them an obnoxious good morning due to the large window that took up the majority of the walls space to their left. The table was so long, you could have a thanksgiving feast on a regular basis if they desired. The wall had a seemingly endless trail of red until it hit a window, which would be embroidered with gold lining.

To put it blatantly, this was a cliché castle environment to live in.

Kairi sat down at the table with a monotonous expression.

"Good morning, Kairi," her mother said. It was said in a way that sounded more like she was forced to instead of giving her a genuine morning salutation.

Kairi gazed idly at the silverware as she leaned her head against her fist. "Whatever."

An assembly of maids and waiters came shuffling out of the kitchen with trays of provisions. They served the king, queen, and princess with this morning's breakfast. They bowed to them before reentering the kitchen. Kairi didn't bat an eyelash. It was broiled fish, steamed rice, and miso soup.

"Father, must we eat this once again?"

"Yes. We have to wait until the servants return from Balamb Garden with this month's supply of rations. Quit your crying and be grateful for what you have."

She rolled her eyes.

Kairi picked up a fork and began violently stabbing her lifeless fish; her head still leaned on her fist, and her eyes careless.

"Well, I'm not hungry this morning."

Kairi pushed herself away from the table, causing her chair to scoot back into an irritating squeal against the wooden floor. She stood to her feet with her chest out, grabbing on the hem of her dress once again.

"You sit back down right now," Claire said sternly. "The servants worked very hard to prepare this meal for you, so you are going to eat it and like it."

Kairi's eyebrow rose. Who did her mother think she was talking to?

"You think I care about those peasants and what they do? It's their job. I have no sympathy for unmotivated scallywags who will be wholly forgotten when death does them part from this world. Now if you'll excuse me."

Kairi began strutting her way up the stairs. With gritted teeth, Claire stood up from the table ready to teach that brat daughter of hers some manners. She rolled her sleeves up, but before she could chase Kairi, a hand gently grabbed her by the arm. She looked down to see her husband giving her a pleading look.

"Just let her go," Hope said.

Claire, despite being reluctant, sat back down. "That girl needs to learn proper etiquette."

"I know, but she won't listen anyway."

"That's no excuse!" She slammed her fist against the table. "That's what's wrong with us, Hope; we keep acting like pushovers to her bad behavior. If we continue to tolerate it, she won't stop! She'll be totally beyond our control!"

His eyes gawked timidly.

Claire sighed as she placed a hand onto his. "I'm sorry, honey. It's just—ugh, I'm getting so fed up with her, I don't even know what to do anymore."

"No, you're right. We keep allowing her to do whatever she wants because we don't have the heart to discipline her properly." Hope dug a hand through his silver hair. "Where did we go wrong, Claire? I always imagined us having a beautiful daughter that would fit in with us like a glove. She was not what I was expecting."

"We spoiled her as a kid. That's why she acts like this, dear. She was never like this when she was just a little girl." A smile curved her lips as she reminisced. "She was so adorable back then. The sweetest girl you could ever imagine."

Back then, Hope and Claire would give little Kairi whatever she wanted with the snap of a finger. Growing up in an environment where you feel entitled to get whatever it is you desire can create one horrible human being later on in life, no matter how sweet they once were. Privileges are a tricky justice.

"Yeah—we did spoil her. But you know, she reminds me of you."

"Hm?" Was that an insult?

"You acted like that when you and I first met. You know, kinda."

When Hope first discovered Claire—who back then preferred to be under the alias, Lightning—she didn't tolerate anything related to Hope. She was cold, anti-social, and didn't want to be bothered by anybody that served her no benefit. She did what she had to do in order to eat.

Of course, Lightning would help save lives, but only because she felt that it was her purpose. She never truly cared for anyone else's well-being besides her own. Then she met Hope, who introduced her to the idea that perhaps the world didn't revolve around her as much as she thought. They became friends and Hope gave her a spot in Radiant Garden's forces to protect the citizens from all that was threatening the peaceful establish.

It wasn't long before romance bloomed.

With that romance, Hope turned Claire into a much more approachable woman, and she was respected among the civilians of Radiant Garden as a worthy queen who deserved her spot. She took the praise humbly.

Hope was proud of his self, being able to turn such a relentlessly bitter woman into a well-respected and admired human being who was always thinking of ways to make the world a better place.

If he could do that, then their daughter, Kairi—shouldn't have been this much of a hassle.

But with all of the continuous lectures to her about being respectful to your subjects and being sensitive to others well-being, it was only a repeated cycle that would always lead them back to square one. Maybe Kairi just wasn't mature enough to handle royalty. If that were the case, throw her out into the streets, damn it.

Despite the temptation, she would be recognized, and most likely targeted by many citizens. Either it'd be for money or just to fawn over her like deranged pedophiles. She was a very beautiful girl, after all.

But alas, no matter how many times it _seemed _like Kairi actually learned a life lesson, she always considered the society of Radiant Garden as filthy peasants that needed to be washed of their currency status to deem themselves worthy of even being in her presence. For goodness sake, she probably even thought her own parents weren't worth her time. That may have been evident with her inconsiderate brushing off of breakfast nearly every time she didn't want to eat what had been served to her.

Claire patted her palms together. A servant came to her aid. "Yes, Mrs. Estheim?"

"Fetch Flame for me, please."

"Right away, ma'am."

Flame was the pet tigress of the family. It wasn't long before the well-trained animal came walking in. She and her master, Lightning, were always particularly close.

"I have a special surprise for you, Flame." Claire took a hold of her daughter's untouched dish and set it down before her pet. Flame immediately dug in but looked up as Claire knelt down, grabbing her by the face and began nose kissing her. "There's a nice meal for you, girl. Isn't that right? A nice meal for the most beautiful tigress in the world. Who's a good girl? Yes, you are."

Hope smirked as he watched his wife act cute. "She's not a dog, you know."

"Pipe down and let me enjoy my moment."

He chuckled. He turned his attention to the window where the sun burned fiercely. He couldn't help but think about what he was going to do about that brat daughter of his. Somebody had to knock some sense into her, and obviously he and his wife weren't fit for the task.

But who could possibly give that little twerp a dose of reality?

* * *

The bare feet of a boy no older than sixteen sprinted across the dirt as fast as his strong legs could handle. He garnered a brown sleeveless shirt and some baggy pants that were folded just below his knee. Around his neck was a necklace with a crown chain. He turned his head to see the convoy of guards chasing after him with swords in their hands. He looked down at the watermelon hooked in the dent of his arm pit.

"Get back here, you thief!" the captain of the coupe declared.

_Why do I always get myself in these situations?_

Since he wasn't paying attention, the boy ended up bumping into a man that was pushing a cart. The man's back was hard and bulky. He turned around. "Hey, watch it you—"

He looked down only to see a spiky haired teenager rubbing his head on the ground.

"Oh, it's only you, Sora."

"Cid, you gotta help me!"

Sora pointed back to the guards that were pushing through a crowd of civilians to find the brunet. Cid sighed. This must have been a routine deal for him.

"Get in."

"Alright! That's why you're my main man, Cid!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Cid was an engineer. Usually he was sent with the duty to deliver certain equipment from his company's shed all the way to the actual building. The place was so small; they couldn't afford to keep their tools inside or nearby, so they had to resort to difficult matters. And Cid was usually given the job to get his hands dirty.

Sora went inside the cart, which was covered by some sort of sheet. The guards wouldn't be able to see him.

The captain ran up to Cid and grappled him by the shoulder. "Cid!" he yelled, his large, gruff beard coming into his personal space. He was a bit on the larger side as well. "Have you seen the kid? And don't lie to me, now!"

"I think he went around the corner, Captain Pete. You'd better hurry if you want to catch him."

Pete whistled, gaining the attention of his men. "Around the corner, men! Move! Move! Move! I'm gonna catch that irritating pipsqueak if my life depends on it! Do you hear?! If my life depends on it!"

Pete had been wanting to catch the boy for years now, but no matter what he did or how much he outnumbered him, Sora was always the one who was able to outsmart the large captain, and it drove the man completely bonkers.

The guards hustled their way to catch up to Sora. As they left, Sora sprung from out of the lug with a smirk on his face.

"Thanks Cid, you're a lifesaver." He was being literal too. If he ever got caught by that captain he'd probably get beheaded.

"No prob, kid. But sheesh, can't you go one day without getting into trouble?"

The boy shrugged. "Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat."

"But—"

"Tell you all about it when I got the time!"

Sora ran away before Cid could waste any more of his time. He had to make it back to his resting spot before anything happened. He decided it would be best if he took the shortcut, what with these guards on his ass. He ran into one of the alleyways, hopping over obstacles and sliding across closed dumpsters. The speedy boy ended up making his way to an abandoned library that had four floors.

It was against the law to go onto vacated property, but he didn't have any where else to go.

Sora climbed up the ladder that led him to the second floor. He jumped on the balcony and took a deep breath. This was the usual deal for Sora. Every day, he had to risk his life just to put food on the table. It was a tiring experience, and if it were up to him, he would've just rotted himself to death by now. But there was one shed of light that influenced his work ethic into full throttle.

A knock was heard on the window behind him. He turned around to see a pouty, but cute, expression on the face of a girl with raven hair. A smile took over his lips.

"Open the window," he requested.

She did as she was told and helped pull the troublemaker into the filthy environment. Aisles of books became apparent. He stood to his feet and sighed wearily. He then took a gander at the pouty expression that seemed to be stuck on her face.

"What's wrong, Xion?"

"Oh, I dunno. It might be the fact that I woke up yet _again_ to see that my big brother wasn't there. You had me worried!"

Remember that shed of light that influenced his work ethic? This was it. Xion was Sora's fifteen year old little sister.

"You know I hate it when you go running off into the streets without telling me."

He rolled his eyes. "But on the bright side…" he flashed the watermelon in her face, "breakfast!"

She gently took a hold of today's breakfast as she sat it down on a nearby table. "I like having food on the table, but I don't want to lose my brother because you're too busy risking your life just to get it."

This library had been deserted for six years now. Sora and Xion broke into this place about three years ago, since they had no other home to go to. It was actually a nice little spot to live in. The only thing was that it looked grim and lifeless. The countless aisles of book aided Xion, for she grew to love reading because of it, but it was an overall gloomy, depressing environment.

Sora was still able to keep the place tidy and he had candles everywhere to keep them surrounded by light.

Sora went over to one of the aisles and began dotting the tip of his finger across the shelves, looking for a particular book.

"Don't worry about it, Xi. I've got it under control. Pete's not smart enough to tie his own shoes. He's never gotten the best of me, and he's not gonna."

Xion sat at the table as she let out a breath. "That's not the point. You're acting like it's impossible. I don't want to see you go out that window and then have you never come back, either because you'll be imprisoned for life—or dead."

"Look, we need to eat, okay? And since mom and dad aren't around anymore, I've got to step up for the both of us."

Xion loved her brother very much, but he was just so stubborn.

Sora came across the book he was looking for and took it out of the shelf. He paced over to the table where Xion was sitting at and he opened the book to the appropriate page. However, this book was not used as a reading item. It was used to hold silverware. Inside of the book, there were knives, forks, spoons, you name it. Sora pulled out a particularly jagged knife that was suitable for stabbing any man in the back as if it were butter. It came in handy whenever Sora came into trouble with people who thought he was the kid to pick a fight with.

Sora held the knife in the air and dashed his arm down, splitting the watermelon in half. He smiled proudly at the yummy fruit and handed one half to his sister.

"One for you…" he took the other half and sat down across from her, "and one for me."

He opened his mouth wide as he seared his teeth into the watery goodness, chomping onto the contents with big puffy cheeks. He opened his eyes to his sister still looking at him disapprovingly.

"You're not eating," he said with a mouthful.

She crossed her arms.

He gulped it down and sighed. "What is it?"

"We're not about to just brush this off to the side, mister. I'm tired of you not letting me know when you're gone." She pretended to look sad. "You must not care about your little sister…"

Damn it, he hated it when she hit him with the guilt trip. It didn't matter that he knew she was pulling a ruse, she was still able to look so adorably pathetic that she suckered him in anytime she desired.

"No, no! Don't cry! I do care about you, it's just—" his eyes slowly averted themselves to the floor, "you know…"

"You're worried that I'll try to stop you."

He didn't respond.

"Look, Sora, I'm just as capable of handling myself in tough situations as well as you are. I'm not five anymore, you know."

"I know," he beamed at her. "You're becoming a strong girl, Xion. I'm proud of you." She returned the smile, just as his faded away. "It's just that I don't want to lose you." He clenched his fist and held it close to his chest. "God, if something happened to you…I don't know what I'd do…"

She slouched. "Come on, don't turn this into another mushy moment."

He smirked. "I think you need a little mush in your life." He stretched his hand over the table in an attempt to ruffle her hair, but she smacked it away.

"Buzz off."

He laughed.

"Seriously, next time, let me go along with you when you plan on getting us something to eat. I promise I won't get in the way, and I can show you what I'm truly made of!" She flexed her nonexistent muscles. "Bang! See? Look at these guns!"

"Maybe you should come along." Her face brightened. "Those flabby arms could use the workout." And her face dimmed again.

"Come on…" she whined.

He scratched the back of his messy, spiky hair. "I don't know…"

"Please…"

Who was he kidding? How could he even resist? "Fine, I'll think about it."

She perked back up again. "Good enough for me!" And with that, she happily began digging into the watermelon her sweet big brother went out to get for them.

It was moments like these that Sora loved. Throughout all of the fleeing, the ducking and diving to make sure he could live another day, it was worth it when he could come home to such a wonderful sister like her.

Need some background exposition? Don't worry, I got you covered.

Sora and Xion were born into a poor family. Their mother and father could barely afford keeping themselves covered, but they loved each other so much, so sex was never out of the picture. That inevitably led to Sora. Not too long afterwards, it led to Xion.

They knew that they were foolish, bringing two babies into the world only to endure the same suffering they had to tolerate. But they were never depressed. Their mother always remained optimistic, and their father worked very hard to find a job.

When that wasn't cutting it, they had to resort to thievery. Sora's dad taught the boy everything he knew at a young age. These days, Sora was practically a pro at stealing goods from the market, but that didn't mean he didn't have his occasional amateur screw ups. He was still only sixteen with a sixteen year olds mentality.

Sometimes, Sora's cockiness hindered him from flawless success. He always thought that there was no way the guards could catch him and turn him in, but he's had a few close calls because of it.

Eventually, their parents passed on when they were coming back home from a recent food search, and they were killed by a creature called, a heartless. Back at the time, Radiant Garden was at war with Master Xehanort, so the town was crawling with heartless. It was recommended for citizens to not be out during those dangerous times. But they had to eat somehow, and they ended up paying the price for it.

Sora took over as the man of the family and even at the age of twelve, he was able to provide for his little sister. He remembered barely escaping from Pete sometimes, leading to many cuts, bruises, and other notable injuries. Xion would always tend to his needs whenever he came back home, but not once did he come back empty handed. He was going to bring her something to munch on even if he himself didn't have any grub; all he cared about was keeping her provided for. That's why she admired him so much, and loved him deeply. He was the best brother she could ever wish for.

Sora never forgot the last words his mother said to him before she and her husband left their home for the last time, never to come back. It was almost as if she knew she wasn't going to return.

_Sora, if something ever happens to me and your father—please, take of Xion for me. I'm placing her life in your hands._

That was a lot of responsibility to give to a kid that hadn't even hit the pre-stages of puberty, but he didn't mind. Sora would take on any task set out to him, he always enjoyed a challenge. Still, that promise made him skeptical about letting Xion come along with him. If something happened to her, he would let down his mother and break his promise.

But keeping her cooped up in this abandoned library would do her no good either.

"HEY!"

Her voice pulled him out of his pool of thoughts. He nearly drowned in them on a daily basis.

"Quit looking at the ceiling like an idiot. I hate when you zone out."

He smiled at her.

"What's so funny?"

"Am I laughing?"

"Well, no—but—"

"I've thought about your proposition."

She looked at him skeptically. "Go on."

"And I don't want anything to happen to you." She was about to say something, but he beat her to the punch. "But—I also realize that it's wrong for me to make you worry like that, and I need to start trusting you more, so…"

Her eyes widened with excitement. "So, I can go?"

He nodded.

"EEEEEEEPPP!" She stood up, prancing around like a fool. Sora let out a laugh. She was definitely worth all of the trouble. "I get to go into the ci-ty! I get to go into the ci-ty! I get to go into the ci-ty," she sung.

"Don't get your hopes up. It's really not as exciting as you may think it is. There's a lot that goes into scrapping for food. I'd call it an art."

"Oh please, you're just trying to scare me. It can't be that hard, can it? Trust me, it'll be fine."

Xion was just glad to get out of this dingy old library. She wasn't exactly skilled enough to call herself independent, but she didn't want to have to rely on somebody either, especially if that somebody was her brother who she worried about every day.

"Well, I'm glad one of us is excited…"

Xion sat back down. "Oh come on, cheer up. It's gonna be fun! Just you and me, having some brother sister bonding time!"

"What do you think this is? A trip to the movies? No, we're risking our lives for the sake of filling our stomachs. For the sake of our survival."

She rolled her eyes. "You're such a drama queen."

"Fine. But if one of us gets hurt, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Don't worry! Nobody's gonna get hurt, okay?"

He used his fingers to lightly pinch in between his eyes. "I don't get it. How can you be so sure?"

She got up from her seat and bunked with him on his, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to comfort him. "Because I believe in you. I know that you'll step up your game when life puts you in foul trouble, and I know you won't let anything happen to me. You've protected me all my life, and I thank you for it. But now, heh, this little birdie's got wings and she wants to soar."

Well, he couldn't fault her for that. His adventurous little sister could always put a smile on his face.

Xion stood from the chair and stretched. "Welp, I'm gonna go wash up."

Since they had no water, the two had to go down to the town's water fountain and fill it with a bucket of water, proceeding to head to an area where they'd remain inconspicuous so that they could cleanse themselves.

"Hey, I wanted to go first," Sora argues.

"Too bad," she responds. She sprints off without warning. "Last one there goes last!"

Sora staggers his way out of his chair as be begun running. "Hey, no fair! You cheater!"

* * *

There it was. This would be where he would change everything. This would be how he would things would finally change for him, to gain power. To gain respect from all of those who doubted his superiority.

A man with silver locks that reached his mid-back entered the prison. This was where many of the town's most hated inmates served ridiculous yet necessary amounts of years in a place of little to no freedom. The R.G.P.D, Radiant Garden Police Department, had caught every potential threat, or certified threat, that could ever harm their peaceful town.

He walked up to the man at the front office.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here to speak to Xehanort."

"And who's requesting?"

"His grandson, Xemnas Jaaku."

The officer did a few keystrokes on the computer to find the file.

"Room 2001."

"Thank you."

The young man, apparently going by the name, Xemnas, entered the elevator down the hall and went to the next floor above.

Water droplets from the faucet pitter pattered against the sink. It sounded louder than usual. It was like it was representing his time ticking away.

The old man sat on his bed with his eyes completely empty. His eyes had thick bags underneath them, and his cheeks looked as if they were slowly trickling down his face, disintegrating into pottage. His posture was hunched and he looked like the lowest form of shit that you would find in a pile of cow manure. Depressed was an understatement at this point.

The day of his defeat kept playing over and over again in his mind. How could he put on such a pathetic performance and against a female no less? He could think of innumerable ways he could have done things differently, a million different scenarios that were possibilities with 95% chances of succeeding, but it didn't matter. None of these scenarios that taunted him relentlessly were reality. No matter how many times he thought about his defeat in a more positive light with the what-ifs, they were never going to come true.

Ever.

And there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

Contemplating suicide seemed so silly before, but now he understood. After being locked up in prison for the past sixteen years, he now understood the thought of depriving yourself from the rest of the world. What purpose did he serve? The only thing he had left to do was rot like the wrinkly old bastard that he was. He looked eighty four years old, and he damn sure felt like it too.

He looked at his wrists. They were locked by very special cuffs that hindered him from the ability to summon his Keyblade. He truly had no reason to live. Would there ever be a day to regain a purpose? He needed a sign.

An officer banged on the bars with his stick, alerting the old man to slowly graze his head towards him.

"Xehanort, somebody's here to see you."

The officer opened the gate and helped the old, crumbling Master into the next room. Between the wall that barricaded the prisoners from the visitors, Xehanort sat down at the booth where he saw his twenty five year old grandson sitting.

The officer handed him the phone, seeing as to how he couldn't grab it himself with his own cuffed wrists.

Master Xehanort squinted at Xemnas with his eyes suspicious.

"What the hell are you doin' here, boy?"

"I'm here to break you out."

Master Xehanort looked at the officer that was holding the phone to his ear. He seemed inattentive, so he must not have heard what his grandson just said. He used his hands to snatch the phone away from the officer, albeit he struggled with his arthritis filled fingers, he quivered while trying to get a hold of it. He scowled at the officer.

"I got it," he said coldly.

The cop seemed to take no offense as he just went to do whatever else he had to do. Master Xehanort turned his attention back to Xemnas, who was looking at him with determination.

"Okay…" Master Xehanort said, "why?"

"I'm sick of seeing you look pathetic in this prison. I'm tired of the people around town bad-mouthing you for what you did. You don't deserve it."

Master Xehanort laughed. "I may be a cruel, sick son of a bitch who doesn't care about anybody else besides myself, but one thing I know for sure, is that I deserve every single thing I've gotten."

Xemnas shook his head. "Don't say that."

"But it's true. I know I'm evil. I know that I'm a bad apple waiting to be rotten into permanent sleep. There's no need to sugarcoat the inevitable. I'm not a good person, and I deserve this."

Xemnas looked disheartened. "So after all of the trouble I've gone through to find you and hatch a plan to bring you out of this hell hole, you're just going to brush me off?"

Master Xehanort snickered. "I said that I deserve it—but tolerating it is a whole 'nother story, my boy."

Xemnas smirked. "That's the man I know."

"But what's with the sudden change of heart?"

Xemnas looked at something aimlessly down below. "I honestly don't know. It's like this sensation came over me, and I realize that to gain respect—you need power. And to gain power—you must conquer the fools that stand in your way."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're just throwing bullshit at me?"

Xemnas gulped. "I'm telling you the truth."

Xehanort still looked unconvinced. "I don't know what you're thinking, boy, but tell me what you know."

To Be Continued…


	2. Arrangement

**AN: As a heads up, this first scene is a little bit on the violent side. I don't think it's that violent, but if you're sensitive to anything like Mortal Kombat, then you might want to skip ahead. Although the first scene is pretty important too. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Master Xehanort nodded to his grandson in approval.

"My boy, we have some work to do. But first things first, let's get the hell out of here."

Xemnas nodded as he stood up from his seat. He held out his hand and it wasn't long before a Keyblade popped into his palm. The guests sitting along the row immediately stood up from their seats and began gawking at his weapon in awe.

"He's got a Keyblade!" one of them yelled.

_We need to get you out of here. _

Xemnas spun in the air, using all the force he had to hit against the sound proof windows and bust them into oblivion.

_First, tell me what the point would be. If you're breaking me out just for the sake of breaking me out, then I don't want to take part in it. _

Master Xehanort looked at his grandson with a smile. "Just seeing you use that Keyblade makes me proud to say that we're related."

_I can understand that. Back then, you wanted to find the one who could open the door to darkness. Am I correct? _

Master Xehanort held out his hands. Xemnas took the hint as he slashed the chain on the cuffs with the Keyblade. The cuffs slowly disintegrated. Master Xehanort touched his unused joints as pale spots lingered on his wrists from having the cuffs on for so long.

_You'd be correct. _

"Shall we make our exit, grandfather?"

"We shall."

A group of guards busted through the door with their blasters in hand, aiming it at the family-related pair.

"Hold it right there!"

_Well, I've got your conclusion. We can take over the entire world with darkness. Every single soul will be in the brunt of our grasp, but there's just one thing we need…_

Xemnas charged at the guards fearlessly, using swift Keyblade combination moves to penetrate his Keyblade through their guts. The guards tried blasting at him, but he was just too quick, and they paid the price for it.

_And what's that? _

Xemnas took a hold of the last guard. He used his elbow to smash into the guard's neck, which paralyzed the poor guy into falling onto his knees.

_The X-blade. It is the most powerful weapon that has ever come into existence. Only one man has ever wielded it, but it was destroyed during a war from years ago._

"Would you like to do the honors?"

Master Xehanort did what he hadn't done in a long time. He summoned his Keyblade, which was just as big and intimidating as it was before. "I would, actually."

_And just how do we get this X-blade to return? _

Master Xehanort spun into the air and quickly slashed his Keyblade across the throat of the guard, beheading him quickly. Xemnas carelessly tossed the lifeless body to the ground.

"Well, that was fun," Xemnas said.

"Let's get out of here."

_We need thirteen darkness's to go up against seven lights in a war. As they clash, only then will the X-blade be forged. _

The two made their escape, quickly sprinting to find an exit. They saw a set of stairs that would lead down to the first floor. They ran down quickly, not waiting for reinforcements to show up. They could easily kill them, but it'd be a waste of time.

_So, you're saying we need to recruit? _

The two found the doorway. Xemnas stopped his grandfather from proceeding.

"Wait a sec. We need to send a message to all of those who dare step foot in our way."

_Exactly. _

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"I got it covered." Xemnas went into the one-strap backpack that he had with him and pulled out a stick bomb and a detonator. He placed the bomb on a nearby wall and clicked the start button. Thirty seconds began counting down. "That ought to do it," Xemnas said nonchalantly.

_My boy, we have some work to do. But first things first…_

"I think you may be just as evil as I." Master Xehanort patted him on the back. "I'm so proud."

"I know."

The two casually walked out of the prison.

They turned around to witness the inevitable.

**BOOM! **

…_let's get the hell out of here._

* * *

Sora had his eyes fixated on a salesman. He was selling fish, talking a mountain to almost every civilian that passed by him. The brunet was in an alleyway around the corner, eyeing the area with a full mental analysis.

"Psst…" a voice hissed.

Sora ignored it. He was too busy thinking to be bothered by it. A feminine finger tapped Sora on the shoulder.

"Psssstt!" they hissed noticeable louder. "Hey, Sora! Sora! Hey! Hey! Heeyyy!"

Sora turned around to meet eyes with his little sister. "WHAT?"

"Why are we just sitting here when we should be getting into action?"

He let out a breath. "Rule number one, if you want to tag along with me from now on, you've got to learn patience."

He resumed looking at the area around the corner to analyze the situation. Xion huffed as she crossed her arms. _This _was what Sora did to get them some grub? Just sitting here to wait for it to fall in their lap? If that was the case, she'll gladly keep her ass home.

Sora glowed as if a light bulb popped over his head. He put his back to the wall that they were hiding behind and slid down. He turned to his sister; her eyes were engrossed to the dirt while her thoughts went elsewhere. His eyes burred into her, causing her to return the stare. More so, it was an irritable glare. He rolled his eyes.

"I know you're bored, but we have to wait for the opportune moment. Did you expect us to just jump right in blind?"

She turned her head. "Well, it would've been more fun than _this._"

"Don't worry, here comes the fun part. I've got a plan."

Her eyes brightened. Her expectations began to elevate. "Lay it on me, brotha!"

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Er, don't get too excited. It's not that big of a deal. Here's how it's gonna pan out. I'll distract the merchant; all you need to do is load this bag with the goods. You give me the signal, I patch it up with our sucker, and we head back to home base. Easy stuff!"

Her disappointment settled in. "That's it? I was expecting a much more elaborate plan then that, big brother. What a letdown."

"Rule number two, survival comes first. We don't need to get all fancy when we don't have to. Besides, this is the perfect take for an amateur like you."

"Amateur!?" Xion hated being labeled an amateur, even if it was true.

"Xi, put your pride away for two seconds and admit it, you're a total noob," he says with a chuckle.

"Fine," she huffed. "But for the record, this plan totally blows."

Sora didn't seem too offended by the statement. "Rule number three, don't question your big brother, because he knows best, young Padawan." He teasingly patted her on the head.

Xion crossed her arms stubbornly. "Rules stink."

Sora decided to leave the conversation at that as he swiftly left Xion's side to go do what he does best. The only thing in front of her was the bag that he brought. She sighed as she picked it up and spectated over the corner.

Sora walked casually but he was able to catch the merchant's attention.

"Ah, my boy! Would you like a delicious fish? It's the finest fish from the deepest seas in this central, only a blind man would resist it for fifty munny!" His accent had a hint of German in it. "You know what, for being a minor, I'll give it to you for forty!"

Sucker. Sora already had this guy in the palm of his hand. He knew how persistent these annoying salesmen were, especially when you refused to accept their offers. Sora waved his hand. "Not interested."

"Ah, come on, boy! Where's the fun in that? A strong guy like you needs some nutrients to keep that body strong, yes? Eat! Eating is good! If not, then where will you be? In the ground I'll presume."

Sora looked at him with fake annoyance. "Where will I be? Where will _**you**_ be if I find out this food is just a scam to get me sick, huh?" Sora placed his hands on the table in front of him, which was sticky due to the fish juice but he tried to pay it no mind. "How am I supposed to know if you're not trying to poison me, man?! Did the government put you up to this man?!"

The merchant was anxious. "I-I-I have no idea what you're—"

Sora cut him off by forcefully grabbing the man by his collar. "Don't _fuck _with me, man! I'm not 'bout that life, man!"

Xion saw Sora give her a very subtle glance that she would have missed if she blinked. That was her cue. She tip toed over to the booth where the merchant and Sora were at while avoiding the pedestrians mindlessly walking ahead. If they trip over her, it's their own fault for not paying attention.

She looked over the table and saw that the merchant was still preoccupied, so she quickly began stuffing the fish inside of the bag.

"Listen up, I'm on a super secret special mission where the details are classified! I can't trust anyone, not even my own gold fish! Okay, man?! So who sent you, huh? WHO SENT YOU?"

"P-P-P-Please, I-I am in no way associated with whatever it is you prattle on about! I am only an honest merchant trying to feed myself and my fifteen cats."

Fifteen cats? What a loser. "Yeah, well, how do you know I can trust you?"

"Here, here!" The merchant took a handful of his fish and stuffed them into Sora's hand. "There you go, you can have them! Free of charge!"

Now he and Xion were going to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"Well, okay. I'll believe you. But if you're lying, I will not hesitate to eradicate you into a dark abyss with my powers of extraterrestrial telekinesis."

The man looked appalled but bowed before Sora anyway. "Yes, whatever you say, sir."

"Call me general sexy ass from now on."

"W-what?"

Sora looked paranoid again. "Or are you the enemy?" Sora set his fish aside and grabbed the man by his collar. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SCREW WITH ME, MAN!"

"No, no! I am no enemy of yours! I apologize…"

"You apologize to who?"

"To you…?"

"To who?"

The merchant sighed. "To you, general sexy ass." All dignity was now lost.

It kept everything Sora had to keep a straight face. He looked over seeing Xion with a bag full of the goods. She was giving him a signal telling him to wrap it up. Okay, maybe he was having too much fun with this.

He let go of the cowardly salesman and shoved him.

"Alright, but I better not have to come back here again."

Sora picked up his fish and made his way with the merchant scratching his head.

"What just happened?" he asked to no one in particular.

Sora had a smug look. It was a job well done and nothing got in his way. That was, until a hand covered the boy by his mouth.

"Got you! I should have known a peasant like you would be causing trouble!"

It was Pete. He blew on his whistle. His guards came running to the sound like moths to a light. Sora was helpless. Pete's tight grip hindered Sora's strength.

"Looks like I got you this time, kid…"

Ugh, Pete's breath smelt like he had just gotten done chewing on his toilet seat.

Sora looked over at the alleyway and—where was Xion? He saw the bag of fish but his sister remained a mystery. To answer his question, Xion was on Pete's back.

"Hands off my brother, fatso!" She dug inside of his pants and pulled out his underpants, which caused Pete's huge butt crack to feel very uncomfortable.

"YAH!"

He let go of the boy as he rubbed his rear end for pain. Xion ran over to Sora and tried tugging him up so that they could get away. "Come on, come on, we gotta hurry!"

Sora made his way to his feet but they were the siblings were surrounded by guards.

"You didn't think I'd let you get away that easily, did you?!" Pete was livid and so embarrassed that his cheeks were red. He couldn't believe that girl gave him a wedgie! Whoever she was. As if he cared. "Don't just stand there you fools, get them!"

The guards all dog piled onto Sora and Xion. It wasn't long before a battle royal commenced. Nobody really cared about Sora and Xion anymore because they were all too busy fighting each other, which led for the perfect escape for the two adolescent thieves. They ran away as fast as they could without anybody looking.

Sora led his sister through the shortcut he had mapped out internally. Xion was already tiring. Her feet began to get blisters from the constant shuffling. Sora looked so relaxed and natural. He must have been used to this. Duh, of course he was. But he had a point; this wasn't what it was cracked up to be. In hindsight, Sora did label this as the perfect mission for an "amateur" like her, so it was safe to assume that this probably wasn't the most intense it's ever gotten.

They made it to the abandoned library at last with Xion letting out heavy amounts of oxygen. Sora looked baffled.

"Are you really that exhausted?" She said something that he couldn't make out. It came out so breathlessly. "That was a walk in the park for me. You must be out of shape."

Once she caught up to her breathing, she shot a glare at him. "Hey, next time, don't have so much fun on the mission. You nearly got us in trouble because you were taking so long to distract that guy."

He merely shrugged. "Hey, we made it out okay, didn't we? Besides, Pete can't catch me. It doesn't matter how hard he tries, I'll always come out on top."

Her glare intensified. Sora had a feeling she was truly mad at him this time. "Yeah, of course you will," she said sarcastically. "It's that kind of mindset that'll get you killed. I just wish you weren't so full of yourself."

She grazed past him as she headed up the ladder to the second floor of the library. Sora didn't look too offended.

"Huh, who gave your panties a pull?"

She ignored him as she continued pulling herself up the ladder. Sora followed the suit. Xion opened the window and tossed the bag of fish inside carelessly. She was disappointed in her first outing on the town. She thought it would have been a lot more exciting than that, but oh well. She asked for it, and he accepted her request so perhaps she should be thankful.

Sora picked up the bag of fish as he set it down on the table. Xion's jaw dropped.

"We're not about to eat them like this, are we?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you an idiot?"

"Yes!"

He rolled his eyes. "No, genius. We'll get sick. I'm gonna go grab us some wood. We can start a fire out in the alleyway."

Sora headed further into the room, most likely going to get one of his custom made tools. Xion sat down at the table, not really knowing what to do. She was hungry, exhausted, and it seemed like she'd have to wait another twenty minutes fill her belly that was begging for food. Basically, the normally chipper and animated young girl mood went down a few notches.

Sora came out from the shelves with a pocket knife in his hand. He was going out into the nearby woods so he needed it just in case for protection. He noticed Xion slouching over the table.

"What are you doing? Get your lazy ass up and take the fish out to the alleyway."

Xion flailed her arms up. "FINE!"

Why was she acting so hostile this time around? Sora figured she was on her period or something, which was particularly gross between them because they couldn't afford tampons and the ones they did find were already used for obvious reasons.

How did she keep herself- *ahem* -plugged up, if you may? Simple. Don't ask.

Sora just kept his thoughts to himself as he went back down the ladder.

* * *

Being a princess was lonesome.

Kairi allowed the air to soothe her. She was still dressed in her nightgown despite the fact that it was in the afternoon and had no intention of sleeping. She just felt like being comfortable. She rested her chin on her right palm as her elbow leaned on the sill, looking out of her window with dreary eyes. There was something about looking out of the window to gaze at the garden in the backyard that helped eased the princess' nerves, but it didn't take away the stress.

The garden in the back was simply gorgeous. The grass was the most vibrant shade of green. A big water fountain sat triumphantly in the dead center, as well as a gate that separated the open space from the plants that the servants tended to daily. There was a statue of their pet tigress, Flame, as well.

Kairi let out a breath of exhaustion, watching the maid water the flowers. What baffled her was that the maid looked so—content—happy, even. She looked at peace for someone just attending to the plants on a beautiful summer day. How odd, did someone paint this picture incorrectly? Kairi was the princess, she was this woman's boss, and Kairi had the ability to get anything she wanted. This maid—this _slave _had nothing. She was destined to serve under Kairi for the rest of her worthless life, and yet it was _Kairi _who was depressed? There was something wrong with this picture, indeed.

The curved lips on the maid's face was tearing Kairi apart. What did it take to gain such happiness? How could it be that a woman with a job such as this would be happy? She should have bags heavily noticeable under eyes as her clothes slowly sag from her body. She should be having red eyes from the nights of eternal weeping, wondering how she ended up in such a hollow predicament. But no, that was how Kairi felt. Did she get cast in the wrong role?

How dare this maid be happy when Kairi herself was in such a conflicted mindset, torn between depression and anger?

Kairi placed her hands on the sill and angrily bent down as she yelled, "You! Maid!"

The maid jumped at the sound of her role as she turned around and saw the princess glaring at her from above. She waved with a smile. "Oh, hello princess! How are you this fine afternoon?"

"Cut your babbling! Just what do you think you're doing back here?!"

The maid looked surprised. What had she done to upset the king's daughter? She answered nonetheless. "Your mother requested that I tend to the garden today since William stopped by the market in Balamb."

"Well, I want you to leave the backyard premises immediately and go clean the basement! I don't want you frolicking around back here, destroying my personal view of the garden! You put quite the damper on it, if I may say!"

What a rude little brat. The basement was the messiest corridor in the entire citadel. But if the maid didn't follow instructions, she was most definitely going to get it later on.

"As you wish, your highness."

"Get out of my sight, before I have you beheaded!"

The maid picked up her watering can and quickly jogged inside of the castle. She liked having her head on her shoulders, thank you very much.

As Kairi let out the anger she held, her muscles soon relaxed as she lay back down on the window sill, her hair spilling over her face with only her droopy eyes being shown through stray strands. Here she was, taking her anger out on the maid for being happy simply because she was not. Kairi stood up from her chair and stumbled over to the bed, laying down flat on her back as she sulked in boredom and depression.

Knuckles rapped on her door from the other side.

"Go away."

She heard the door being opened anyway and the footsteps of someone walking in. Kairi sat up with a grimace look. "I said go away!"

Kairi was hit with shock. She thought it was one of her parents or one of the servants. Instead, it was a girl, who was only a year older than Kairi, making her seventeen. She had elegant pink hair the same color as Claire that made it down to her mid-back, and a dress that hoisted itself around her waist.

The face was too recognizable for the princess.

"Hello, my wonderful niece."

Kairi rolled her eyes. This was the absolute _last _person she wanted to see.

"What do you want, Serah? And what are you doing here?"

Serah placed her hands on her hips and gave Kairi a mock frown. "Is that any way to say hi to your auntie that you haven't seen in over a year? The same old Kairi, I guess."

The grimace look on Kairi's face never left. "MOTHER!"

Serah sighed. She closed the door and entered the room further, taking a seat next to Kairi on her bed. "No need for drama, Kai. Jeez, you're so tense all the time. Here, let me give you a massage."

Serah started rubbing Kairi's shoulders, which admittedly, felt pretty good. That didn't matter, though. Kairi absolutely hated this woman. She had everything Kairi herself wanted.

Serah had curves, she had much bigger, perkier breasts than Kairi and a better sex appeal, and she was liked by everybody. Her parents were proud of her for the way she handled herself. She had dozens of friends, and not because of riches either, but more so for her personality. And to top it all off, she had what Kairi wanted most: freedom. Kairi had pretty much always had to be locked up inside of her castle due to her being worth a fortune, and was only allowed outside the palace to go to mandatory ceremonies and events, but it wasn't like Kairi could just do whatever she wanted. Most of the time she'd be confined to a chair while watching an uninteresting production. But her aunt that was only a year older didn't have to worry about that.

Serah may have been rich thanks to her big sister, Queen Claire, but she held no royal titles such as princess or queen. Despite how respected Serah was when she went out into the town, she was never in any danger. If Kairi decided to go outside of the palace walls without protection, she'd most likely be seen as the equivalent to a celebrity and become the target of a mob by countless fans.

All that, combined with the fact that she was the definition of annoying, led to Kairi hating her aunt with a passion.

"Why so tensed, Kairi? You're too pretty to be looking so down. A princess needs to be looking her best at all times a day."

"Kiss. My. Ass."

Serah didn't seem offended. She was quite used to her niece's behavior. "My! Such language from the pristine princess!"

Hope and Claire would have had a fit if they heard Kairi swearing. Apparently, it was against the rules for someone of higher authority to say foul words such as that, nor was it okay for anyone of a lower authority to say those things in front of royalty.

"Why are you here?" Kairi repeated the question. She slapped Serah's hands away from her. "And quit touching me, you frog!"

"Hmph, you ought to be more appreciative to someone who had the courtesy to come all this way to warn you about the dangers to come."

Kairi lifted an eyebrow. "Dangers to come?"

Serah got up from the mattress and leaned against a nearby dresser. "You got that right, toots. I got word from my old man that there's some trouble starting to stir. One of the Radiant Garden Police Department buildings was blown into smithereens. There were quite a few casualties."

"As if I care about those wretched casualties. They had no business being in prison in the first place."

Serah rolled her eyes. "What if I told you that the ones who caused the destruction are headed this way to Radiant Garden as we speak?"

Now Kairi was interested, but she sobered pretty quickly. "And what do they plan on doing? Them and what army could harm my empire of slaves that will willfully do the damage that is necessary? I'm not afraid."

"Can I please get done explaining?"

"You speak when I tell you to," Kairi said as she examined her nails. "Who are the ones who did this?" Kairi went into her box that was located on her dresser nearby and pulled out a nail file.

"We don't know yet. The only reason we got these reports is because your servants witnessed the explosion on their way back from Balamb garden and two men walking their way. The men exclaimed that they were on their way here to discuss business with the queen."

Kairi went back to looking uninterested. "Then why are you telling me this? Shouldn't this information be passed on to my mother?"

"Don't you get it? Your mom's life may be in danger. I mean—don't you care?"

Kairi gripped her file. How dare she be questioned by such a frog? "That should not concern you. I have no control over what happens to her."

"You're heartless!"

Kairi ignored her as she placed the file back on the drawer and lay down on the bed, her back turned towards her aunt.

"What a brat," Serah said. She let out a breath. "Anyway, not sure if you care, but my dad, is downstairs telling all of this to your mom as we speak."

"Why don't you go join them? You're stuffing the air that I need to breathe."

"Well, _excuse me _for trying to give you a fair warning." Serah cursed under her breath as she slammed Kairi's door shut. The princess' face showed no emotion.

Downstairs, King Hope and Queen Claire sat at their thrones as Merlin told them the situation. Serah walked over to lean her arms on the staircase rails on the second floor as she watched the conversation down below.

"To make matters worse, heartless have been appearing in the town recently. There haven't been too many witnesses, but there is one casualty."

"The heartless are back?" Claire asked in frustration. She slammed her fist onto her arm rest. "Damn it!"

"Calm down, honey," Hope suggested. Claire took a deep breath as she leaned back into her royal chair, crossing her arms with her eyes closed. Her anger was subtle, but it was still there.

"What else do you know?"

"That's all I have to give. This is just a fair warning, but might I suggest we begin with preparations? Anything could happen."

"He's right, Claire. We need to send soldiers out into the town and make sure they're able to hinder anyone from entering. That also might come in handy to stop the heartless from spreading before it gets too chaotic like the last time."

Claire gasped as she came into realization. "What about Kairi? We need to think about her safety as well."

Hope looked slightly confused. "Well, yeah—but—"

"We won't be here every moment of the day. If our town is in danger, if our people are in danger, then we have to help solve the problem."

"And if we die…?"

Merlin stroked his beard while pondering. "I have a solution. Give her a bodyguard."

The two doting parent's eyes brightened.

"A bodyguard, huh?" Hope said as he leaned back in his chair, stroking his own chin.

"That's a great idea. But how do we find somebody?"

After a few moments, Merlin was able to come up with something. He had a trick or two up his sleeve, being a very well respected wizard. He did a few hand gestures as he waved his trusty wand around, and a stone was seen in front of the steps that led to the couple's thrones. Inside of the stone was a Keyblade, and its handle was shown as it stuck out of it.

Hope jumped to the sight. He got out of his chair and paced around the large stone with keen interest, examining it cautiously.

"That is a very special Keyblade," Merlin explained. "I made a spell that was designed specifically for your daughter. There is one man out there who is worthy of protecting the princess from danger. Whoever that man may be, will only be allowed to lift the Keyblade from its position. He shall wield it and use it to protect the kingdom, and your beloved child from any danger. Problem solved!"

"Um, not exactly," Claire said as she leaned on her palm while her elbow rested on the arm rest. "Now we need to go hunting down the one who will actually be able to wield the Keyblade. How do we know if this man is even in Radiant Garden? What if he's in another country?"

Merlin shook his head. "You're misunderstanding the situation, Miss Estheim. Whoever this man is, he is destined to meet your daughter and protect her. Whatever the case be, he'll be here. Destiny is the inevitable."

Hope placed his hands around the Keyblade. He pulled using all of his strength. He had a pretty impressive set of muscles, but he still wasn't able to lift the weapon out of the rock. He ended up injuring his back and he fell onto the marble floor.

From above on the rails, Serah began laughing. "Nice try, old man!"

Hope gave her the evil eye as Claire helped him up. He looked at her face, noticing she was trying to contain her giggles as well.

"It's not funny you guys!"

"Well, at least my point is proven. Not just any man can use this Keyblade. Only the chosen one…"

Claire still looked skeptical. "Are you sure about this Merlin?"

"Destiny," he simply answered as he headed towards the kitchen, proud of his self for coming up with an idea that he claimed was ingenious.

"Now what do we do?" Hope asked as he cracked his back into the right position.

"You think I know?" The queen asked. It wasn't like she knew what the hell was going on either. So, what? Was this "chosen one" supposed to just randomly waltz in here and lift that Keyblade as if he were the best damn thing to grace the grounds of this earth?

"I have an idea!" a voice from above said. Serah came running down the stairs until she met up with her sister. "How about we just have every man in the town come to the castle and try to lift the blade out of its position?"

It was such a simple plan, but it would most likely work. The couple shrugged.

"I guess that's the best we got right now," Claire admitted.

"Perfect!" Serah clapped.

"Well, you two go on ahead and plan things. I think I need something to ease my back…" Hope said hopelessly. He started staggering into the kitchen. "Merlin! Let me cop that cheese grater, yo!"

Serah had a question mark filtering her face. "Uh, why is he talking like that?"

Claire smiled and shrugged. "He's just being silly."

Serah watched as the King entered the kitchen. She was totally checking him out. "I see…"

Claire didn't like the look in her little sister's eyes.

"Gotta admit, sis, you caught you a good one. Seriously, he is _fine, _the walking embodiment of a hunk." She licked her lips to her dirty thoughts.

Claire smiled. "I know." She then placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "And if you try anything with him, I'll rip that pretty little hair of yours off your head, are we clear?"

"Crystal." Claire's grip was getting harder, to the point where Serah's legs were getting tingly from the harsh sensation. "Hey, uh—Claire—you're hurting me…"

The smile never escaped Claire's lips. "I know."

* * *

The flame angrily swished back and forth in the air as it slowly turned the wood into ashes.

Sora and Xion sat across from each other in the alleyway right next to the library. They had a stick in their hand; both had a sharp edge with a dead fish penetrated through it. They held the fish close to the fire, waiting for them to be safe to eat.

They were in a comfortable silence. It was usual for Sora but it was odd for Xion. She usually talked the night away, but not this time. Sora figured she was still disappointed by the lack luster of an adventure they shared earlier. She was expecting so much, only to get so little.

"Hey," he said to break the ice, "are you okay? Still upset about earlier?"

She shook her head with her half shut eyes still fixated on the beautiful fire. "No."

"Then, what is it?"

Xion glared at him as she aimed the fish to her mouth, taking a big, crunchy bite out of the trout. Not once did her eyes part from his.

Sora looked a little nervous. Did he so something bad? He gave her a fair warning earlier, so what was she getting so upset about? "Are you mad at me?"

"What do you think?"

Well, what the hell did he do? If she wasn't mad about earlier, but was mad at him, then what could she be mad about?

"Okay…" Sora took a bite out of his fish, looking at the stars with a bored expression. Xion was taken aback.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm mad at you?"

He shrugged, keeping his eyes steady on the few twinkles that lingered in the evening sky. "What's the point? Even if I asked, you were just going to act stubborn until I begged."

She blushed, because he was right. She had done that ever since they were kids. What made him think he was so smart?

"S-shut up!"

Sora chuckled. "When you're ready to tell me, I'll be waiting."

He rested his back against the ground as he mindlessly fed himself with the fish. Star gazing was a nice pastime for the teenager.

Xion hated it when he outsmarted her. She liked it better back it the old days when she was in control and was able to make him beg for her forgiveness. Then all of the sudden, Sora turns fourteen and he's just like 'bitch YEET'. What's gotten into him? Something about that smug look of him not caring just made her skin boil. She clenched her fists.

"YOU'RE NEVER THERE FOR ME!"

He poked his head up to look at her. "Say what?"

"There, I said it. You happy?" Xion stuffed the rest of her fish in her mouth, threw the stick to the side and started making her way up the ladder. She didn't even get up the second step before a hand tugged on her worn out black tank top. She got him now, hook, line, and sinker.

"Hold on a sec. What do you mean I'm not there for you?"

Xion gulped her fish down as she hopped down from the ladder and dusted her shorts off. "I was just joking about that. I only said that to get you to actually give a damn," she smiled innocently.

Sora wasn't amused, but he should have figured she was joking because he was always there for her. And Xion wasn't a particularly needy girl. "Have I ever told you that I hate you?"

"Maybe once, twice or so."

Sora walked over to the wall and slid his back against it until he was sitting down. "Well, you got my attention. So, what's on your mind?"

Xion sat down next to him. "Well…"

He looked at her intently.

"It's just…I'm worried about you, okay?"

Sora's face fell from the disappointing answer.

"I know, I know, I've told you this a million times. But this time, after getting a taste of what you go through every day, and seeing how careless you are," he scoffed at that remark, "it makes me worried that someday that cockiness will get to that big, goofy head of yours and then it'll bite you on the butt. Then what'll I do? If you're gone, I'm totally screwed. And more importantly, I'll never see you again."

Sora didn't know what to say so he just looked straight ahead and allowed her to speak.

"I think about it a lot, you know. It's depressing, but I can't stop thinking that one day you might not come back home. I try not to show it, but you don't know how happy and relieved I am every time I see your ugly face walk through the window with that stupid smile." She sighed, soon smiling as her eyes began watering up. Sora's face remained emotionless and unmoved, still looking at the wall across from them. "I just don't want to lose you, Sora…"

She rubbed her eyes. She hated looking so vulnerable in front of him. This was embarrassing, but she had to let him know. Hopefully, he'd be more careful when she knew how much she worried about him every day.

"It's—kind of, funny. I wanted to keep this from you, but I can't really hold back any longer. Sora, you're the best brother ever…okay? You're the best damn thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't want to lose you! Do you hear me? So promise me, you won't leave me…promise me you'll be more careful…okay? O-okay?" Her words were starting to break up, the tears kept pushing to come out. "You're the best damn thing that's ever happened to me…"

Next thing she knew, she was enveloped into a hug, which caught her by surprise.

"I didn't know you were affected this much. I never really considered how you felt about all this. All I cared about keeping you well fed, but I didn't really think about how you felt about this from an emotional standpoint, and…"

He hesitated for some reason. He let out a much needed breath.

"…and I'm sorry."

Xion hugged him back as she allowed a single tear seep down her porcelain colored skin.

He meant what he said. Sora never even took into consideration that despite all of the times he risked himself for her sake, to feed her and fill her empty stomach—that he was her brother first and foremost. And if something happened to him, then everything he did for her wouldn't mean anything because she wouldn't have _him_ anymore. He knew he and Xion loved each other, but he didn't even consider that she cared about him just as much as he cared about her. She must have been in so much pain under that cheerful façade.

_Three years ago…_

_A thirteen year old Sora ran into the alleyway. It was another smooth steal. He didn't even have to deal with Pete this time around. The short brunet climbed up the ladder until he reached the second floor. He hopped onto the balcony. He went into his one-strap backpack and pulled out two loafs of bread, and they were big enough for them both to have one for each of them. _

"_Xion's gonna be so excited!" he said to himself. _

_Sora opened the window. He told his sister a million times to lock the door whenever he left, but he decided he'd let it go today. It was a special occasion after all. _

_He carefully went through the window. He closed it back up and locked it to make sure nobody came in during the night. You can never be too careful. Sora learned that very early in his years. That didn't stop him from being careless whenever dealing with Pete, but that was beside the point. _

_He placed the backpack on the table as he walked further in the room with the food in both hands. "Xion? Where are you? I got a surprise for you." _

_No sign of her. Where was he was she? She didn't leave, did she? _

_It wasn't long before he found Xion's back turned to him while she was crouched down at one of the corners. _

"_Xion?" _

_She perked up. "Oh, Sora!" _

_He heard a sniff from her direction. It was subtle, but it was there. She turned around with a big smile on her face. _

"_You're back!" _

_She walked up to him, but he eyed her suspiciously. "Are you okay?" _

_She returned the stare. "Do you know who you're talking to? Nothing ever gets me down, and you know that!" She lightly punched him on the shoulder. _

_He was right. Xion wouldn't be crying. It was rare she ever cried over anything. Sora put a smile on his face and showed her the bread. "Well, I got your favorite!" _

_She gasped. "Curry bread!" _

_He nodded. "One for both of us." He handed her a loaf, to which she graciously took. _

"_Sora…" she smiled with admiration. _

"_Happy birthday!" _

He felt like an idiot. How could he have been so blind to not have seen through her?

They parted from the hug and Sora held his sister by the shoulders. "Don't you worry, okay? I'm never going to leave your side. I'll always be here. I'll never leave you."

"You promise?"

"I promise." He wiped a tear away from her eye. "Don't cry, okay? You're making me all emotional, and you know I hate that."

She sniffed. "Okay."

He sat down next to her once again and let out a breath.

"Sora."

"Hm?"

"I love you."

At that moment, he realized that he and his sister were probably closer than the majority of other brothers and sisters, but he wouldn't have liked it any other way.

"I love you too, fella," he said teasingly as he ruffled her hair.

She made a fake pouty face. "You're terrible."

"But I'm the best, sexiest brother ever."

"Well, you are the best brother in the whole wide world, but that second part is debatable."

"Hey!"

She giggled as she rested her head on his shoulder. Sora took it all in good nature as he looked up at the sky. He had no intentions of leaving Xion miserable if something happened to him, so he had to make sure he was more careful, for her sake.

But something felt weird, as if something in his life was about to change drastically. It was undeniable, and he hoped it was just him going subtly crazy. He was just being weird right? Or was his life about to take a huge detour?

…

Nah.

* * *

**This story is yet to have a review -_- Come on people! Don't let me down and don't be shy! I don't bite! I swear! *hides insanely sharp teeth* Hehehehe...**

**And much love to Lightning Shock, lordibau, and SoranoxSora for following this story and showing support! **


	3. When Luck Runs Out

"Uhn…_ohhh…_"

His eyelids rose slowly to be greeted with a nearly cloudless sky, a comforting breeze, and his own breath that tasted like rotten milk. Sora hated waking up. No matter how much he tried to not be an insomniac and go to bed at appropriate times, he still felt like complete crap by the time the sun rudely interrupted his slumber.

He noticed that he was still out in the alleyway. He and Xion must have fallen asleep out here, which was pretty dangerous, but luckily there didn't seem to be any scratches on him. He looked down to see his sister with laying her head down on his lap as if it were a pillow. He chuckled to the sight. She looked so innocent. He carefully picked up her upper body and placed her back down on the ground to make sure he didn't wake her. Xion may have been the sweetest thing in the world most of the time, but if you woke that girl up, you might as well moon a fire breathing dragon. What's the same between both of those situations? There was a possibility of death.

Sora got to his feet and stretched. He began to wonder what the agenda today would be. He obviously had to get more food, since they ate the rest of the fish last night. He wanted to go get them some breakfast, but he couldn't leave Xion alone by herself while she was blissfully inattentive to her surroundings. At the same time, he did _not _wake Xion up either, a.k.a, the beast.

He decided to just wait until she woke up, then they could go grab some breakfast together.

He heard footsteps. Had she woken up already? Sora turned around to see that there was a dark creature with yellow eyes creeping up on his sister. It was a heartless! Sora thought he had seen the last of them years ago. It looked like it was about to kill her.

He sprinted towards the dark creature, using the brunt of his elbow to knock the creature back a few feet.

"Stay away!" Sora said as he got into a protective stance. The heartless had now focused all of its attention on Sora. It flung at him in an attempt to whip Sora with its sharp claws, but Sora dodge rolled out of the way, all the while grabbing one of the sticks he used for fish eating last night.

Sora got into a stance, ready to take on whatever this thing had in store. The boy used to practice with a wooden sword all the time as a kid—until he lost it. Hopefully, he still knew a thing or two about using weaponry.

The heartless attempted to attack Sora again with its bare claws, the only way it knew how. Sora was able to parry every attempt the mindless creature made. He glanced at Xion. How was she able to sleep with all this commotion?

The creature attempted to get the jump on Sora, but the boy's reflexes were too precise. He somersaulted into the air to avoid the feeble plan. Xion began to gradually come into consciousness. Her groggy eyes quickly turned into alert ones when she noticed her brother in battle with a heartless.

Sora landed close to his sister, who was still in terror on the ground. "Xion, get out of here, it isn't safe!"

Who did he think he was? Did he not learn anything from last night? She stood up to her feet and took his side.

"What are you doing?!" Sora rolled his eyes. "I said leave!"

"Not going anywhere. I'm not gonna just leave you like this."

Sora groaned. Why did she have to play hero all of the time? If only Xion would just listen to him, life would be so much easier. Nonetheless, he couldn't stop once she made up her mind.

The heartless sprung at the siblings, making Sora its first target. It used both of its feet to kick him back against the wall. Xion angrily spun in the air until her foot connected to the heartless with full force, knocking it back a few. Sora helped himself up. It seemed like no matter what they did, they weren't strong enough to put this thing down to its grave.

Sora ran towards the heartless with the stick trailing behind, ready to inflict all sorts of damage, but the creature didn't back down. It propelled its body towards the boy.

"Jigs up, pal!"

Sora swung the stick, but he missed entirely, making him crash down onto the floor. Sora didn't let the epic fail get to him as he sprung back up to his feet, only to be met by the wrath of the heartless' claws scratching at his face, finishing it off with a hard blow to the shoulder. Sora fell to the floor from the jab.

Xion winced, and then slapped her forehead. He may have been a whiz at thievery, but Sora was a lost puppy when it came to handling creatures born out of darkness.

Xion sprinted at the heartless that was inches away from devouring her brother, and she quickly hit him with punch-kick combinations that were so fast that if you blinked, you would have missed a move she made. She ended her assault with a spin in the air, and a hard punch right to the creature's face, which thrust its back onto the ground, skidding across the dirt.

However, it wasn't long before the heartless leapt back up to its feet, seemingly perfectly fine.

It didn't matter what they did, they just didn't have the attributes that would grant them victory, and this heartless was practically toying with them. Xion knelt down to her brother, and he was beaten up pretty bad. He looked disoriented. She shook him to get his head back in the game.

"Come on, big brother! This is the absolute _worst _time to take a nap!"

His response was a moan. Xion trembled with fear as her eyes settled back onto the heartless. It was slowly, but surely closing in on Xion like the prey she was. She gulped anxiously but decided that she would not give up. Sora wouldn't give up on her if it were him in this situation. She stood up and squared her fists, ready to take on the heartless by herself.

Before they could do battle, the heartless stopped in its tracks. It collapsed into nothingness. Xion was flabbergasted. What just happened? Did she have x-ray vision—was she the second coming of Medusa?!

All those potentially awesome thoughts came to an end when she saw Cid in the distance with his blaster in hand.

"Cid!" she cried.

He walked up to her with a wink. "I got ya covered, Xion." He noticed Sora before returning his attention back to the raven head. "What happened?"

"I dunno, I just woke up and I saw Sora fighting that—that thing! It's called a heartless, right?"

"You'd be correct, darlin'." Cid crouched down to take a look at the bruised and battered Sora.

Xion watched him as he awkwardly stared at her brother. "Uh—do you think he's gonna be okay?"

"Meh, just a few minor hits. He may need an ice pack or somethin', but other than that, the bastard'll be back on his feet in no time," Cid said as he grabbed Sora by the head, smirking at him looking so defeated. He was used to seeing Sora standing tall with an 'S' on his chest so much that it was a little amusing to see him so conquered.

"How did you know we were in trouble?"

"Didn't. Just so happened to pass by. You kids should consider yourselves lucky." He spun his blaster in hand swiftly. "I never leave the house without this little guy. Ya never know when fate will decide to screw with you for a bit, and then you might need it."

She couldn't argue with that. The predicament she had just went through attested to that statement.

"I'll say. Think I can borrow one of those?"

Cid chuckled as he stood up and disheveled her hair. "Maybe when you're older. There's been a couple sightings of heartless around the town, but the king and queen sent out some fellas to put a stop to that earlier."

"Where are you headed? You going to work?"

"You didn't hear? King Hope has requested every male go to the palace. There's some sort of Keyblade in a stone. Whoever pulls it out has to protect the princess from these oncoming threats."

"Threats?"

"Don't ask me for details. I'm almost in the same boat as you. But just think if I can get that Keyblade—I'll have the power to do whatever I want, _and _quit my pathetic job too!"

Xion wondered if perhaps Sora would be capable of obtaining that Keyblade. If he could, they could finally get out of these streets and not have to live in a library anymore. Their lives would definitely change—and hopefully for the better.

She looked at her snoozing brother. She giggled at the drool that escaped the corner of his mouth.

Never mind. He was so hopeless that she doubted he'd ever be able to pull out that Keyblade. And with the way that heartless totally just whooped him, he probably wasn't even suitable for that kind of responsibility anyway.

She noticed Cid daydreaming about quitting his pathetic job.

"Hey, a little help?"

Cid picked Sora up and draped the boy over his shoulder. He climbed up the ladder with Xion soon following behind. Cid opened the window and made his way inside. He grimaced to the environment. It was such a shame to see these kids fend for themselves in this rundown library. He would have taken them in himself if it weren't for the fact that he could barely make ends meet for him alone. How could he handle two teenagers?

Besides, they lived here by themselves for the past three years. If they could do that, which was highly impressive for their ages, then they obviously had what it took to survive for a while longer. That didn't stop him from worrying, though.

Xion went past him and stopped at the table, pulling out a chair. "You can just set him right here."

Cid did as requested, once again turning his attention to the scenery. It was such a shame for these kids to have to go through something like this. Their childhood years were completely ripped away from them.

"Hey kid, you ever think of you and your brother—I don't know—going to a foster home or something? Maybe put yourselves up for adoption?"

She jeered. "We like the freedom that we have. This may not be the cleanest of lifestyles, constantly worming around the city shoplifting our needs, sometimes even begging… but it's all we know." Xion went into one of the cabinets and pulled out a first aid kit. She used it whenever Sora came home with some kind of injury. "Besides, we're teenagers. Sora's only two years away from being an adult, and I'm going on sixteen soon myself. It's a bit too late for adoption."

Xion sat in the seat next to Sora, his eyes were still shut. That heartless must have really done a number on him. She went into her box until she pulled out some wipes that could clean the blood. She wiped his cheeks.

Cid looked at the sight admirably. These kids were strong. He didn't even know if he could handle half of what they had to go through every day even at his current age. But _their _age? He had a feeling these two were destined for greatness. They didn't need his protection. This was where they were supposed to be.

"Well, if ya ever need anything, you know where to find me."

She gave him a smile. "Of course. Thanks, Cid."

He saluted to her.

* * *

Master Xehanort and his grandson walked up to some sort of house. It looked like a dome cut in half with a door in the front. Next to the door was a keypad.

"This is where I once lived," Xehanort said. "I trained using the darkness until I deemed myself worthy of destroying Radiant Garden."

Xehanort pressed the appropriate numbers on the pad. An automatic door opened before them. The old man presented it to Xemnas.

"You first."

Xemnas entered the facility and was amazed at what came into his sight. The area was mostly white, but there were lots of equipment resting in the area. A lot of it was blanketed with dust due to the absence of any presence for years. The place smelt awful, but the scenery was too impressive to allow his attention to be diverted. There were stations that showcased containers of liquids, lab jackets hung on the coat racks, and computers pretty made the walls.

"So this is where you worked…" Xemnas said to himself mostly.

Xehanort stood next to him with his arms behind his back. "It's been about eighteen years, but this is where I used to conduct experiments on the darkness. I used to be exceedingly intrigued by the it."

"I never knew you were a scientist."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, boy." Master Xehanort paced himself over to one of his inventions, placing a hand on it as he looked at it with reminiscing eyes. "This was one of the first contraptions I created."

"What does it do?"

He gave Xemnas a smirk. "It will return me my strength. I saved it just for this sort of occasion."

Xehanort pressed a few buttons on the pad, afterwards pulling a big lever. The machine began rumbling, causing Xemnas to get a little cautious. Xehanort never moved an inch as he smiles devilishly. Out of one of the capsules, a vial popped up with green liquid inside. The elderly man took it without indecision.

"With this, boy, we'll be able to really begin our plans. It only takes one sip…"

Xehanort poured the contents of the vial down his throat. Xemnas watched in horror as the Master started hacking. Xehanort crouched down as his body transformed.

"Grandfather!"

Master Xehanort cried out of pain as his muscles tensed up. His hands quivered with sweat, but that diabolical smile didn't leave once from his disturbing face. "Yes…yes!"

Xemnas eyes focused hard as the smoke cleared to reveal his grandfather—but he no longer looked eighty four years old. He looked as if he were in his early thirties.

Master Xehanort's hair was long and refined, reaching slightly past his shoulders. Xemnas helped Xehanort up to get a look at his face. Without a doubt it was younger, what with his chiseled features.

Xehanort opened his eyes and it wasn't long before a smile took over his face yet again. An evil, suggestive one, that is. He tried to stand up on his own, but he staggered slightly. He soon recuperated his balance, standing up straight.

"This power—I feel new again!" His voice was deep, but it wasn't as scratchy as it had become. He placed his hands on Xemnas' shoulders. "I feel like I can take on any challenge, and now, we can take this on together."

"What happened to you?"

"It's an age modifier! I worked with the settings so that it would return me back to my youth without dispatching any of my memories that I've gained. I built this just in case I lived to be an old man, and now that the time was right, it came to good use."

"Grandfather…this is amazing…"

Xehanort cringed.

"Don't call me that anymore. From now on, just refer to me as your master, Xehanort."

* * *

Kairi sat in front of her mirror. It was an immense mirror with floral designs as its frame. She was brushing her beautiful, auburn hair. She was ready for the day as she had already heaved herself in one of her tight red dresses. As she finished brushing, she placed her cute tiara on her head. She gave the person looking back at her in the reflection a small smile, and she smiled back. Kairi had her own insecurities, but her physical appearance was not one of them. She was proud of the way she kept herself.

Kairi took a deep breath. Hopefully they wouldn't be serving that god awful generic breakfast this morning. Serah said that the servants had returned back from Balamb Garden, so there had better be something Kairi would gladly consume. Hopefully that pest of an aunt isn't anywhere around either.

Kairi walked to the door and opened it, but saw the last person she wanted to see. It was her aunt and she ended up knocking her fist against Kairi's forehead, due to the fact that she was about knock on the door right when Kairi opened it.

"HEY!"

Serah realized what she did and tried stifling her laughter. "Sorry."

Kairi used all she had to not slap this chick right in her face. "What is it, Serah?"

"_Aunt _Serah," she corrected.

"I refuse to call you my aunt."

"So, I take it you're grouchy again? Oh well, but I just came to get you to come see the trial."

"Trial? What trial? And why wasn't I informed of it?"

"Don't you remember? You were acting like, well, _you _yesterday, so everybody left you alone. Basically, every man in the town has come here to the palace to pull a powerful blade out of a stone my father created."

Kairi looked repulsed. "WHAT?"

Serah recoiled slightly. Now what was Kairi's problem?

"There are _peasants _within the premises?" Oh, that explained it.

Kairi knocked her aunt out of the way as she marched over to the main entrance. "Move, you frog!"

Serah dusted her sleeve off. She didn't let that get to her, since she was used to Kairi's irrational behavior. She was the quintessence selfishness.

Kairi went over to the rails on the second floor. She looked down, and sure enough, Serah was telling the truth. There was a long line of men dressed in rags that were entering from the large door. They were all in conversation. Currently, there was a man trying to pull something out of a stone as her parents and her grandfather, Merlin, watched nonchalantly.

"WHAT IS THIS?"

All heads in the room averted up to Kairi on the second floor.

"Oh, Kairi. You're awake. Did you sleep well?" King Hope asked with a generous smile.

Kairi growled. She walked down the steps in a negative stride until she made it to the thrones.

"Hello Kairi, my have you grown—"

"Watch out, frog!" Kairi said as she shoved Merlin to the side to look at her father.

Merlin fixed his blue cloak while eyeing his granddaughter with disgust. "My word…"

"Father, what is the meaning of this?!" She pointed at the line of men accusingly. "Why are these filthy peasants in my abode?! It should be a law that they not even be in my presence, the wretched scum!"

The commoners took offense to her venomous words as they all shared side conversations bad-mouthing her.

"Is that the princess? Man, why is she such a bitch?"

"Is that who we're supposed to protect?"

"If that's the case, why am I even here?"

She scowled at them. They were the equivalent to a herd of rats to the princess. She didn't even like to look at them.

Claire stepped up and put her hands up. "Sorry about that everybody! She doesn't mean what she says, she's just—uh, she just woke up, that's all."

The commoners remained skeptical, and continued bad-mouthing her, but noticeably softer than before. Kairi crossed her arms.

"I don't care who it is, but somebody better answer my question—why are these people here? And what's the point of this?"

Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Kairi, will you shut up for a second?" Hope said as he pinched the space in between his eyes. Kairi gasped at her father for saying such words to her, but she sobered regardless. Out of everybody, she respected her father the most, and he was the most likely subject to calm his daughter down and discipline her. But not to the point where he had complete control over her either.

"Serah should have told you—our situation right now is iffy but we may end up having to partake in war. Do you see that stone? The one that has a Keyblade sticking out?" he asked his daughter.

She looked at it, but didn't see his point. "Yeah…?"

"Only the chosen one can lift the Keyblade from its place and exploit its power. Whoever this chosen one is, according to your grandpa, is the only one who can protect you from any potential danger."

"Chosen one, huh?" Kairi said as she let the information settle. "So what are you waiting for, father?"

"Huh?"

"Go lift that Keyblade out of its place! I want _you_ to be my protector. Not one of those unsanitary peasants!"

A chuckle escaped from him. That was probably the closest he's had to flattery from his daughter in quite a few years. "Well, I'm glad you feel that way. Unfortunately, I'm not the chosen one, apparently. I already attempted to lift it, but I guess you can figure out how that turned out."

Kairi stomped out of anger. "This is so unfair! Why wasn't I consulted about this before?"

Claire placed a hand on her hip with an irritated sigh. "For the way you're acting right now. We knew you'd resent our proposal and make a big deal about it, but the bottom line is that your father and I need to go check out the situation in the town, and we can't leave you without protection."

"So basically you don't trust me?"

"Pretty much!" Serah interjected cheerfully.

"Oh, I get it! Knock a princess while she's down, huh? Sure!" Kairi made a pouty a face. She noticed one of the men in line looking at her with an odd facial expression. "What are _you _gawking at?"

The man cowered back, not wanting anything to do with an angry princess at the cost of his head. Kairi noticed this, and soon an evil sneer formulated on her lips. She rubbed her hands together as she snickered. Her family shared worried glances.

"Huh, so basically whoever the dirty peasant is will be my slave that I can give personal commands to, correct?"

Merlin rubbed the back of his head. "Well, that's not exactly—"

"Cool! Maybe this won't be so bad then. Having my own special slave has always been a dream of mine."

Serah raised an eyebrow. "Since when?"

"Since none of your business." Kairi sat down in the biggest throne on the stand and made a snooty face, clapping her hands together. "Alright, people! Let's get this back up to speed! I don't have all day, you know!"

Everybody stared at her with mixed reactions, but not one was positive. Hope gave her a glare.

"Get out of my chair."

* * *

Sora's eye lids slowly ascended until his pupils were completely visible. His memories returned in a quick flash and he sprung up from his spot, looking around with vigilance. "Xion!"

The first thing Sora noticed was that he was in his sleeping bag. The second thing he noticed was that he was at home in the library. The third thing he noticed was that Xion was sitting at the table reading that book she had been attached to lately. His sister looked at him with and adjusted her reading glasses.

"Aw man, I was hoping you'd stay asleep. You looked like you could use the rest."

Sora grappled his head with his eyes looking paralyzed. Was it all just a dream? It felt so real. He touched his face and felt a band aid. Then he saw that his arm was wrapped up. Okay, so it wasn't a dream then.

"What happened?"

Xion closed her book. It looked like she wasn't going to be able to get another chapter in before bed. "That heartless handed your ass to you."

Man, why did she have to put it like that? Why does no one ever look at the positives? Like the fact that he put forth his best effort. But no, they just want laugh at the situation. Be grateful, you bastards.

"Kinda embarrassing…" Sora said as he raked a hand through his messy hair.

"Don't be. Not many people would have been able to do much better, and that's me included. You probably did better than what you're average person could do."

He sat up straight, relaxing his elbow on top of his arched knee. "Thanks…I think…" He wasn't sure if that was a compliment. "So, what happened? Did you fight that thing off?" he asked incredulously.

"And if I did?"

"Then kudos! I didn't know you had it in you!"

"Too bad that's not the case."

Sora smirked. "I knew it."

"Shut up. Basically, we got hit with a stroke of luck. Cid just so happened to walk by and blasted it to death with a firearm. If it weren't for him, we'd both be goners."

Sora looked up at the ceiling. So the heartless were back, huh? The boy was never ardent when the topic about those creatures hit the air. They were the reason his parents died. He never made any oaths to kill every heartless he saw, nor did he swear to avenge their deaths, Sora never had that much anger in his heart to begin with, but he didn't want to be reminded of them either. If these beings were making a comeback, it wouldn't be safe to go out into the streets, especially at this hour, when the sunset had kicked in. By the time the sun left, heartless would definitely come out to use Radiant Garden as their own personal playground, lurking the streets for victims. They preferred being in the dark.

But how would he and his sister eat? The only way he was able to get food was by heading out into the town, but how would he be able to accomplish that without getting his heart gobbled up?

Why does life always have to dick people around so much?

"Cid helped me bring you in here, so after he left, I fixed you back up. You should be good as new in about a day or so."

He looked at the wrapping around his arm again. "Yeah, thanks."

She placed a finger to her dainty chin. "He said something about a meeting at the palace. There's some kind of Keyblade stuck in a stone, and whoever can pull it out must serve as the princess's protector. Any of this peak your interest?"

Sora thought about it. It did sound interesting, getting to leave this dump and go live at the palace as the princess's bodyguard. But that didn't matter, because Xion came first and foremost. He was not going to leave her for the sake of some rich revelry. As far as Sora was concerned, everyone in royalty was just a stuck up snob that didn't lift a finger once in their entire life. He did not want to have to deal with those kinds of pricks.

"Nah, I'll pass. I need to be thinking about taking care of you first."

"But what if you are the guy to do it, then we can leave this dirty hell hole and finally have a _real _meal."

"If I know anything about these royalties, I bet you that only one of us will be allowed to go." Her facial expression demoted, seeing as to how he was probably correct. "Besides, I don't think I'd be the one who'd be able to do it, anyway."

She smirked. "Yeah, I don't think you're up for the task either."

He looked at her with mock anger. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She giggled. He smiled back.

"What's with the glasses? You don't even need them, and they're not prescribed to you."

She made a snooty look as she adjusted them again. "But they make me feel smarterer…"

He laughed. "Well, I don't think it's working."

A loud grumble was heard. Xion placed a hand on her tummy and blushed.

"Hungry, huh?"

"Starving."

Well, he had no choice. He can't just let Xion go hungry. He promised to stay by her side, but he had to at least try to head into the city…for her sake.

The sixteen year old stood to his feet. "Well, I'll go grab us something."

"Oh, no you don't! You're not going out there when the heartless are loitering around. You stay right here, mister."

"But—food—"

"We can grab something tomorrow when it's daytime. More people will be out, so it won't be as dangerous. But we can go a night without something to eat."

He slouched. "But you said you were starving…"

She sighed. "I am. But we can't take the chance. I don't want you getting hurt out there, Sora." She took the glasses off and stood from the table, making her way towards him. She pointed at him accusingly. "Promise me you won't go out tonight!"

He turned his head, not really wanting to look at her in the eyes. He hated it when she got so demanding, because he knew that she knew it was hard for him to resist. "Iprmise…" he said muffled underneath his breath.

"What was that?"

"I promise…" he still said quietly.

"What?"

"I promise! Okay?"

She backed off of him with a satisfied smile. "Good!" She skipped over to her sleeping bag. "Then go ahead and get some shut eye! You'll need it if you wanna heal up."

"Okay, you win." He tucked himself back into his sleeping bag. "But what about you?"

She waved it off. "I'll be fine! Seriously, you worry too much. Relax, okay? We'll both survive the night, so don't get all frizzy, Mr. Frizzy pants."

"Mr. Frizzy pants?"

Xion tucked herself into her sleeping bag. She took a hold of the candle that was next to her and looked at Sora one last time. "Goodnight, big brother."

He smirked. "Goodnight, Xi."

She blew the candle out and the two were immediately shrouded with darkness. Xion closed her eyes to visit the realm of her wondrous imagination. Sora's eyes never closed. Lest did she know, he was crossing when he promised her earlier.

Once he heard her faint snoring, he got straight out of the sleeping bag. He lit a match that he had in his pocket. It wasn't much light, but it was something. He managed to locate his way around the room until he came across what he was looking for: his trusty pocket knife. If only he had a gun or something so that he could defend himself against the heartless, but sadly that reality remained dormant in his dreams. Sora placed the knife in his back pocket. He blew the match out, shook it a few times before tossing it to the side, and then ran towards the window. He opened it to be greeted with the nighttime breeze. He looked back to see Xion face lit by the moonlight, blissfully unaware of her exterior surroundings. He sighed wearily.

It wasn't like he wanted to do this, but he had to make sure there was food on the table. And since nobody was outside right now, this was the best time to do it. "I'm sorry…"

He snuck out onto the balcony and gently closed the window back up, praying he'd be able to come back in one piece. Otherwise, his sister would kill him. He slid down the ladder and landed on the ground gracefully.

Boy, it was times like these when Sora wished he had some shoes. He had to walk around bare foot every day, and it was quite prickly.

Sora walked cautiously, skimming his hand against the wall of the library to lead him out of the alleyway. He did as such and was greeted with the night sky, and a full moon smiling at him. Or were they frowning? He couldn't tell.

Sora began walking around the lifeless streets of Radiant Garden. This town wasn't what it used to be, but it was still a very beautiful place to live in.

So far, so good. Not a heartless in sight. The boy stopped in his tracks once he saw that a cart full of meat was laid out in the open. It looked like a haven to him. Usually people forgot little things like lettuce or apples, but not full blown food like this. Sora ran towards the cart like he was a kid who spotted a candy shop.

He began salivating to the sight. Where did he start? It all looked so delicious. Sora came into realization that he forgot to bring his backpack. He slapped his forehead for having such a derp moment. He decided to let it go. He'd just have to keep coming back and forth until he got a satisfying amount. It wasn't like the library was too far from here. He started grabbing as much as he could and stuffed his hands with provisions like turkey, hot dogs, salami, baloney—anything in sight.

His smile told the whole story. Xion was going to be so proud of him after she got done scolding him about leaving this late, but it'd all be worth it.

He turned around and ended up bumping into a soft, plump belly that had seemingly been waiting on him. He looked up with a traumatized face. It was Pete, sneering at him mischievously. He had guards standing on both sides of him giving the boy a similar stare.

Sora chuckled nervously. "Hiya, boys…what are you guys doing out here so late?"

"His Majesty sent us out here to check on the heartless situation to make sure it didn't get too crazy. We don't need a heartless infestation, ya know?" He used a finger to pounce Sora on the chest. "I ain't know we had a street rat infestation too, hehe!"

Sora gulped before looking out in the open area and pointed at something. "Holy crap, is that the queen walking around in a bathing suit at this hour?!"

The body guards all began looking around with their perverted goggles initiated. It wasn't a secret that a majority of the male residents in the town had a crush on their queen, and that included the guards.

"Huh?"

"Where is she?"

"I wanna see Queen Claire in a bathing suit!"

"I want her step on my crotch while she spits in my eye!"

Sora tried to not let that last comment paint any unnecessary visuals in his mind as he crawled under Pete's legs with him inattentive. He began sprinting off.

Pete looked back down and noticed his sight was missing an annoying spiky haired brat. He turned around and saw Sora running off with some ham in his hand.

"Get him! Get that little punk! I want his head as a trophy I tell yas!"

The guards forgot about their fantasies and chased after the kid. Sora noticed but continued running. He could sneak home by going through the shortcut, slipping into the dark along the way, but he felt the need to teach these guys a lesson so that they could get off his trail. He stopped and looked around at his surroundings to see if he could use anything to his advantage. Come on, hurry! He had to improvise.

Sora saw a cart with oranges in it. He snapped his fingers once he thought of a plan. The boy ran over to where the cart was, the guards followed inevitably. Sora slid on the ground while making sure he kept the ham protected close to his chest. He whipped out his pocket knife cut the bottom hinges on the cart, allowing the oranges to plop on the ground freely. The guards ended up slipping on the bowling balls of fruit.

Slapstick was a useful method to Sora's style. It was used as comedy in the movies, but he knew first hand that if those stunts were pulled in real life it'd be no laughing matter.

Sora laughed maniacally at their misfortune. "What a bunch of losers! Is this what I'm up against? I've had more trouble getting rid of the fruit flies at my place."

"You laugh now, but Pete's gonna get you!" one of them yelled, before tripping once again.

Sora began backing up, preparing to make his escape. "You think I care about that idiot? What do I care about that big, fat, clumsy oaf who's most likely still a virgin middle aged? You think I'm scared of him? He can kiss my—" Sora bumped into a similar plump belly from earlier. "He's right behind me isn't he? Seriously, this joke is getting old…"

Sora turned around and it was Pete, inevitably.

"What were you saying?"

"I was saying that I think we've come far enough in our relationship that I think I can tell you just how much I've come to grow fond of you." He pulled a list out of his back pocket, which was really just his to-do list that had nothing to do with the fat officer. "Dear Pete, you are the best pal I've ever had."

Pete groaned. This kid's stupid jokes were annoying and distracting.

"People I know always tell me that you're a big, fat, smelly, gross, disgusting, fat, sloppy, contaminated, unhygienic, uncoordinated slob. Did I mention the fat part?"

He groaned.

"Oh, okay I did. Anyway, the point is—"

Wait a second, why was Pete listening to this? He bear hugged Sora violently, crushing his torso with his arms. Sora struggled to get out of his grasp.

"I got you now, you arrogant little twerp!"

Pete's pointy nose continuously jabbed at Sora's cheek. "Wow Pete, is that a nose on your face or are you just happy to see me?" Sora was able to lift his arm out of Pete's grasp and flicked him on the snout. "Wow, it's pretty small. Is _this _what is supposed to satisfy me? This is why I cheated on you with a different officer last week."

Pete snarled as he squeezed Sora harder. "You got a smart mouth for somebody who's bones are about to get crushed! This could all go smoothly if just shut that trap of yas…"

Like hell if Sora was going to just give up like that. He bit Pete's thumb, sinking his teeth into it with the most jaw movement he could deliver.

"YAOW!"

Pete let go of Sora and began shaking his thumb, sucking on it to ease the pain.

Sora gently placed a hand on his ribs. Come on, Sora, nothing too bad. Maybe just a few cracked ribs. Baby stuff…

He didn't waste any time and began shuffling his feet. Unfortunately, he wasn't paying attention and ended up slipping on the oranges he had laid out for the guards. The boy couldn't stop himself and ended up crashing into a wall. He could practically see stars orbiting around his forehead.

He saw Pete looking down at him with a triumphant sneer. "Looks like that ego of yours finally bit you on the butt, har har! I knew it would eventually."

Damn it, he should have listened to Xion. In hindsight, he could have gotten away easily, but like Pete (and Xion) said, his luck must have finally ran out. He had to admit, his ego was pretty big when it came to this kind of thing, but he never pictured himself capable of enduring defeat. He should have seen it coming because his usual luck with stealing lately has been on edge.

"You're comin' with me, kid. I've been waitin' years for this!"

"Uh, to where…?"

"Where do ya think, ya nimrod? To prison!"

And that was the dagger. Sora could now officially admit it to himself...

His luck had finally run out.

To Be Continued...

* * *

**I thank everybody for supporting this story! I'm glad there are people liking it already, because it hasn't even truly begun yet. **

**Don't worry, Sora and Kairi are going to meet each other _very _soon, so stay tuned! If I work hard enough, I might be able to get the next chap up within the next day. I hope you liked it and drop a review please! **


	4. Dead End Destiny

"State your name, gentleman," Hope requested as a man with cyan eyes and dirty blond, very distinctive hair, stepped up before them by the stone. He looked quite young, perhaps twenty, and the smirk on his face showed how he wasn't sweating this at all. This was just another day in the park for him.

He slicked his hair back. "I'm Demyx Komara Seru, and I'm gonna be the one to protect your daughter, your Majesty!"

Claire admired his self-assurance. "Oh? Well, you certainly have the right attitude for it."

"Yes, it is nice to see someone act normal for a change," Hope agreed admittedly. All day they had been introduced to a large majority of candidates who practically flopped in the presence of the king and queen. He didn't blame them, but it was annoying to have these people kiss their butts and trip over their own words all the time simply because of their labels. This young man seems to have found a comfort zone. Maybe he is the one who will prevail.

Demyx took note of the princess as she sat in her seat, his eyes swooning over her physique suggestively. Kairi stared back with jaded eyes.

"I gotta say, your daughter is a mighty fine looker too!" Kairi rolled her eyes. "She taken?"

Kairi bursted into hysterics. Did this rubbish scumbag think he had one _percent _of a chance with her? "Dream on!"

Claire hit Kairi on the arm. "Kairi! That's enough!"

Kairi stopped laughing, but she gave her mother a scowl. "Don't touch me."

Claire let out a breath.

What an awkward family. Demyx always pictured them to be a pure, immaculate family. Perhaps even royal families have flaws. "Uh, anyway—I'll get started now."

"Finally!"

"Kairi, hush!"

Demyx spat on both palms before rubbing them together, which grossed everyone out. He jumped on the rock and laced his fingers around the Keyblade's handle as he built up energy in his arms. He heaved on the Keyblade, but it wouldn't come out of its spot. He used all of his strength, but nothing worked. He noticed the Estheim's looking at him with bored expressions. Most notably, Kairi, who was tapping on her arm rest as she smushed her cheek against her fist on the other side of the throne.

They all honestly wanted to just find this chosen one and get this over with so that they could proceed with their lives, but this was a process that was dragging itself out for much too long.

Demyx jumped off the rock and started doing some jumping jacks. "Hold on, let me just get myself warmed up. A one, a two, a three—"

"Thank you taking your time, Mr. Komara, but we've seen enough," Hope said as politely as he could. "Guards, please escort him out."

Demyx didn't like the sound of that. "No, you don't understand! I'm the chosen one, really!" The guards ignored him as they grabbed the poor guy by the arms and literally dragged him out to the door. "No, you don't understand! Let me stay here with you guys! I don't wanna go back to my mom's! She's always doing unspeakable things to me when we're alone at night! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"

The guards tossed the man out the door as they dusted their hands off.

Hope did a face palm. He never knew how many nutcases there were in Radiant Garden.

"This is getting tiresome…" he said hoarsely.

"William!" Kairi yelled.

A man in a tuxedo came clumping out of the kitchen immediately with his lips parted in fear, tripping over himself a good number of times in order to make it to the princess in one piece. He stood before her with impaired breathing and his hands interlaced together, ready to do her bidding. "Yes? What can I do for you, princess?"

"Fetch me some crackers with the little shreds of cheese that I like, but don't melt it or else I'll have your head. Don't forget the small dosage of—"

"Salt. I've never forgotten, your Majesty!"

He hoped that she would commend him positively for already knowing her customs by heart, but she only looked at him as if he had developed an extra head.

"W-what?" he sputtered.

"Did you just _interrupt _me while I was speaking?"

"I-I-I-I—"

"The next time you cut me off, I'll cut off your head, you pitiful frog. Now go get what I ordered, and hurry it up."

"Y-yes, princess!" William sped into the kitchen to fix up Kairi's request.

Kairi noticed all eyes were on her at the moment.

"Did time just freeze or did all of your brains crack like insignificant records? Chop chop!"

Hope was about to interject what his daughter said, but came to the conclusion that there wasn't a much better way to put it. "What she said…"

* * *

Her fingers fidgeted nervously as she rocked back and forth next to the window, waiting for her brother's return. He should have been back at least ten minutes ago. If she knew him, he was probably ridiculing the guards right now and their petty attempts at capturing him, but he was never late, no matter how tempting it was for him to make a fool out of the guard's captain. Surely he didn't get captured? She gulped. That was nonsense, Sora never got captured.

She had begun reading her book to keep her mind off of it, but the book just began to become less entertaining after a while as thoughts of her brother's safety became profoundly distracting.

She looked out of the window with a tiring gaze. "Idiot. Where the hell are you?"

* * *

Two officers on each side of Sora dragged him down the hall, grappling his arms with pressure. The brunet's hands were locked inside of cuffs.

It was funny; because it was one mistake. _One _mistake and he completely fucked his entire life over. How embarrassing that with all of his triumphs against the clumsy Pete, that he would be captured just by simply slipping on a pile of oranges like a god damn cartoon character. What a joke.

"No, you don't understand! I need to go look for my sister! If you just let me go and check on her real quick, I'll be right back in a flash!"

"As if we hadn't heard that one from the books."

It was true. You know, kinda. He was being honest aside from that last part about being right back in a flash.

"Come on, I got responsibilities! A wife, kids, you know how the deal goes these days! Am I right, fellas?"

"You're like, twelve."

Sora looked at him with an appalled expression. "Dude, I'm sixt—you know what? Never mind. Look, just get me out of here! You can't just do this to me!"

"Yeah we can. It's called following orders. Sorry kid, but you're on your own this time."

"You guys can't be serious…"

One of the officers opened one of the jail cells as the other one unlocked the cuffs fastened on the boy's wrists, and before he could do any quick stunts, they shoved him inside of the cell and locked it up tight.

"Have a nice night."

The officers made their way back into the lounge room. Sora grappled the bars hopelessly. "You can't just toss me in here like I'm just some rag doll! I got someone important out there to look after!" Sora shakes on the bars with rage. "AAAARRRRRRRRRGGHH!"

"Hey, could you keep it down?" said an unfamiliar voice. It was laidback and calm. "There's this new thing called sleep, and I'd like to partake in it."

Sora turned around. The place seemed dark and vacated. "Who's there?"

He noticed someone lying down on the top bunk of a bunk bed. He had long silver hair with his bangs shadowing over his bright aqua eyes. He looked quite comfortable, unlike the fidgeting Sora. The boy looked about a year older than him as he flashed a smirk. At that moment, the tense air eased dramatically. Sora stood up and huffed.

"Who are you?"

The boy hopped down from his bunk. He had on a beaten up shirt with the sleeves clearly ripped off and shorts that went to his knee, also having been cut off. He outstretched his hand.

"Riku Shizuka, your new cellmate."

Sora shook it.

Riku sat down with his back against the wall. "Nothing much to do in this place. Whatever life you had before, think to yourself, was it worth giving up for this?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Getting philosophical already?"

Riku chuckled. "I'm just talking…"

Sora didn't know who this Riku guy was, but he seemed like a closet psychopath. Hopefully this didn't turn into a scenario where the roommate ends up trying to kill him after revealing he's a deranged serial killer.

"Anyway, this place is a sanctuary. A sanctuary for boredom, that is. I hope you're prepared to do absolutely nothing for however long you're locked up in here for."

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

"You know I am. Just look at this joint, it reeks the stench of stale."

Sora couldn't argue with that. Would it really hurt the prison designers to add a few extravagant paintings around here?

"How long you in for?" Riku decided to ask.

"About two months. The villagers don't take too kindly to thieves."

"That's not too bad. I got stuck for a year. First couple of months have passed though, so I'm not really complaining."

Sora sat down against the wall across from Riku and tried his best to get comfortable. "A year? What's your story?"

"I got caught for stealing a zucchini at the market place. I'm not exactly what you would call rich, so I gotta get some food somehow. What about you?"

"Same as you, pretty much. Why a year though?"

"This is my second visit. First time, I got stuck in here for killing a man who raped my mom on my bed while I went to go chop wood in the forest."

Sora's eyes widened. Somebody get him out of here! He was sitting with a murderer right now! He was tempted to call the guards and request a cell removal.

"You don't say…"

Much to Sora's surprise, he noticed Riku attempting to stifle his laughter as he geared his head towards the ground so that his bangs could shadow over his eyes. "Dude, I'm only joking. I just wanted to see how you'd react, and that face—priceless."

Sora wasn't too amused, but he didn't hold a grudge for long.

"Anyway, I have been here before though. It was just for loitering on somebody else's property."

"Why were you doing that? That's weird and creepy. And pathetic…"

"I was looking for my necklace." Riku showed the appendage hoisted around his neck. "It's something my mom gave me to remember her by before she died. I lost it in this guy's lawn when I tripped, so I was digging around to find it. When the dude saw me, he flipped and called the boys and I was in here for a month. Since this is my second time, my punishment got an upgrade."

"Rough."

"Yup, it totally blows dick. Use me as an example dude, and try to stay out of trouble."

"Talking me down, now?"

"I'm just warning you. Consider it my good deed of the day."

Sora rolled his eyes. Riku looked so comfortable. Being locked up wasn't a big deal to him. For him, on the other hand, this was going to take some getting used to. Sora was the master of escaping the grasp of the guards, especially Pete. This was the first time he had ever been so careless that he'd end up getting himself locked up. Xion must have saw this coming from a mile away, and he let his cockiness get to him.

"So, what about you?" Riku asked.

Sora looked a little alerted to hear Riku ask. He pointed to himself. "Me?" Riku nodded. It wasn't like there was anybody else in the room. "I've been on the survival of the fittest train ever since I could remember. Memories are a little fuzzy, but my parents died when I was around twelve. I never wanted to be in foster care, and I didn't want my sister to endure that either," Sora's body went through an uncomfortable sensation at the mention of Xion, "so we kept it a secret and tried to fend for ourselves."

"Really?" Riku asked in bewilderment. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Wow…I'm seventeen and I can't even imagine being on my own like that since I still live with my dad. That's so badass."

Sora rubbed the back of his head embarrassingly. "Yeah, well…" His face turned serious. "Actually, it's really not all that. I personally wouldn't give a shit if this whole jail thing only affected me, but I'm just worried about my sister. She must be worried sick by now."

"I bet she is," Riku said, not really knowing what else to add.

Sora let out a chuckle but it wasn't a happy one. It donned on him that he was in a jail cell with some guy that he never met before and unsure whether or not to trust. On top of that, he'd be stuck here for two months without any way to communicate with his sister and inform her that he's okay. He let the back of his head rest against the wall behind him as his eyes locked themselves on the ceiling above. A sigh escaped his lips.

"She's gonna kill me."

Riku rubbed an itchy spot on the back of his neck, and decided he'd break the silence to ease the tension. "Oh, and by the way, be ready to throw up too. The food they serve here is _awful. _Seriously, it's like they just threw something together out of the used toilets."

Sora sprung himself out of his thoughts and offered Riku an apologetic smile, realizing he had probably made the poor guy uncomfortable. "It can't be _that _bad, can it?"

"I am a man of my word."

Sora raked a hand through his hair. "Well, if that's the case, then I'll just go to bed early."

"Hey, how did you get caught anyway?"

That was kind of embarrassing but… "I slipped on some oranges."

Riku tried to throttle his amusement, but failed miserably. Sora had already braced himself for the jokes poking at his dignity.

Sora laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah…I know. I guess I let my carelessness get the best of me."

"Yeah, you suck."

Sora frowned at him. "Dude."

"Just kidding." Riku stood up and stretched. "You just need a good night's rest. Come on, let's hurry and go to sleep before they tell us it's time to eat."

Riku climbed up to the top bunk and got himself comfortable on the rusty mattress.

Sora decided to go off his instincts and slip into the mattress under Riku's. He tucked himself into the covers. A flood of leisure filled his body. Sora couldn't even remember the last time he had slept in an actual bed, and this one was a little rough around the edges what with its hard-ish surface, but it was better than a sleeping bag, slightly.

Sora stared at the wall. His eyes were deprived of emotion. He could only worry what kind of horrors Xion was going through while he wasn't home. He should have been back about three hours ago. He totally broke his promise, and she must have been vexed with anxiousness.

He was so stupid to not listen to her. He should have just stayed in and went to sleep, but he really was as stubborn as Xion said he was. Perhaps reverse psychology was his weakness. Now what was he to do?

"Hey," Riku's voice interrupted his thoughts, "I didn't catch your name."

What's the use in avoiding it? They were going to be cellmates from now on so he might as well tell him.

"Sora Yukana."

"Well Sora, I just got one more thing to warn you about."

"And what's that?"

"You don't have to worry about me or anything, because I don't roll that way, but some of these other guys…so for the love of god…"

Sora poked out his ear. What was Riku getting at?

"Do _not _drop the soap."

Those few words uttered represented Sora's life being officially over. He sprung out of the bed and held onto the bars one more time like a caged animal.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

* * *

The last candidate to lift the Keyblade breathed heavily. He used all of his strength in his attempt to lift that bloody Keyblade, but it wouldn't even budge a millimeter. Claire walked down from her throne and comforted the stranger.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded breathlessly as she patted him on the back.

By this time, the main foyer was numb of the numerous presences that permeated it earlier. The long line of men had now vanished and the last remaining subject was the only commoner leftover in the quarters. Hope and Merlin began thinking of another way to find this protector, while Kairi was slumped on her chair reeking in boredom. It was the most unprofessional, un-princess like slouch one could imagine. She had just wasted the whole day doing this, and not a single man had what it took to lift that Keyblade out of the stone. Serah had an imitation of her nieces mindset. She sat on the floor.

"Well, you'd best be going now. Sorry for making you come all this way," Claire apologized as she escorted the man out of the palace doors.

He said something between breaths but the queen couldn't make out his chained words, and only responded with a nod.

"Take care now." She slammed the door shut, letting out an exhausted sigh.

"I just don't understand," Merlin said to break the ice, "I'm positive this should have worked. However, not a single man was capable of such a responsibility."

Serah stood up and stumbled into the kitchen. "I need a juice pouch."

"Well, this has been an epic fail upon epic fails," Kairi said as she twirled her hair, "I suppose I won't be having my own slave."

Hope's eyes did a 360. "Kairi, please come up with a better term."

Claire was still pierced in thought. She and her husband were not the type to allow their soldiers, their people to die as they lay low in the castle, not lifting a fraction of their finger in order to help. They treated their subjects with utmost respect. If only their daughter did as well, but that was beside the point.

Claire and Hope were fighters first, and rulers second. Even if they were to die, they would stand for their country. So staying behind to keep Kairi company was certainly not an option. They needed to find a bodyguard, but they had already given every man in the town an opportunity to prove their worth, and they all ended in failure. So only one question lingered on her mind…

"Now what?" she said aloud. It was the million dollar question. Mixed expressions painted the royal family.

Kairi decided to sit up straight. "Why can't we just pick a guy with a well-toned body, impressive muscles, maybe a nice looking face as a bonus and call it a day?"

Serah nodded. "I like that idea!"

Ugh, teenagers. Merlin shook his head disapprovingly. "You don't understand, Kairi. If you wish to truly be dormant under protection, then there is only one man out there who is up to the task. Not just any random stray in the street. That's why I manifested this spell, to ensure you of your safety. You and that Keyblade have a special link."

The fact that her destined bodyguard, whomever he may be, could potentially be a horrid peasant was bad enough on its own. The least she could ask for would be some eye candy to boot, but if she were to find out that her bodyguard destined to protect her really _did _look like a frog, then this whole quandary would be deemed pointless—at least, in her case.

"Well, I think we only have one last option," Hope said with a hint of hesitation. "We have to send in the town's prisoners."

Kairi's eyes nearly shot out of her skull. "PRISONER?!"

If there was anything worse than a regular peasant, it was a prisoner. They were the line one didn't cross, the gum that you saw on the wall that you didn't bother to touch or look at, the lowest form of human existence.

"You cannot be serious!"

Serah tried to calm her niece down. "Kairi, if you don't have someone to keep you protected in the case of a war breaking out, then you could lose your life."

Kairi dramatically stiffened her neck as she placed the back of her hand on her forehead. "Then let me die! If my life has been reduced to being paired with a smutty vermin for the rest of my life, then what's the point of living?"

Serah rolled her eyes. "Drama princess…"

"We don't have any other choice!" Claire exclaimed. "Kairi, I love you, and if anything happens to you…"

Hope walked over to comfort his wife as he held her gently in his soft grasp. She rested her head in the crook of his neck as she thought of the horrifying nightmare of her daughter being slain to the heartless. Claire wasn't one to show signs of vulnerability, even to that day when she was much more open, but topics about her daughter easily changed all of that.

"Kairi, you have to go through with this. Just look at your mother. And it's not just her, I feel the same way." Kairi looked at him disbelievingly. Hope sighed as he paced himself closer to her. "Look, you may be a brat, but you're still my only child. I don't want to lose you, no matter how much of a handful you can be sometimes. I still love you."

That came as a surprise to her. "Really?"

For once in a long time, King Hope saw his daughter have a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. She didn't like to show signs of her emotional side either, a trait she obviously gained from her mother. Hope chuckled to the thought of how similar they actually were. How _could _he hate the daughter of his wife, who was almost a spitting image of her despite the darker shade of color Kairi's hair displayed.

Kairi let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll do it. But only because you and mother are so worried."

He smiled. "Thanks Kairi."

See? His daughter wasn't so bad. She just didn't like to show that to others. Why? He wish he knew. But hey, perhaps the bodyguard chosen was the one who could bring that soft side of Kairi out into the open.

Merlin began stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we know that one of the departments have been destroyed by anonymous foes—presumably the ones who are threatening war with Radiant Garden, so we have to move quickly and can't spare any seconds. Who knows if our remaining prisons will be blown to bits as well?"

"I think it's a stupid idea," Serah said as she began sipping on the straw inserted into her juice pouch loud and obnoxiously. "Why would an inmate be the one chosen to serve Kairi? What if the chosen one is a rapist, then what do we do?"

Kairi's eyes widen to the assumption.

Hope shot Serah a dirty look. "Not helping."

"Destiny works in magical ways," Merlin offered wisely. "If Kairi is to be with such a rapist, then a rapist she must have!" Merlin opened his eyes to witness the horror on his granddaughter's face and his stepson's disapproval.

He placed a finger to his beard.

"Uh, maybe I should have worded that better."

"Oh god, I'm going to be raped!" Kairi said as she buried her face into her father's chest. He rubbed her back soothingly. "I can't do this! I don't care what kind of danger I may be in, I am _not _about to have a prisoner become my guardian!"

Hope scowled at Merlin. Serah placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Way to go, dad."

Merlin put on a determined front. "L-L-L-L-L-Look, my point is that destiny works in mysterious ways. No matter how bad the situation may seem, there is always that small glimmer of light that takes you to the place where you are predestined to be. Destiny shall prevail!"

Kairi lifted her head from her father's chest and snarled at her grandfather, causing the old man to recoil frighteningly. "Quit babbling about destiny you useless frog!"

Merlin tugged on his cloak. Was it just him, or was it getting hot in here? He was only trying to do what was best for this girl, but she obviously didn't appreciate his kindness.

Claire sighed at her train wreck of a family. If a sidekick had told her this was her future sixteen years ago, she would have punched them in the face for making such a ridiculous statement. She sighed heavily.

"We don't seem to have much of a choice. One of the prisons were destroyed, so we'll have to go with the backup. I guess we'll order all of the prisoners to be escorted here tomorrow morning. Might as well get it over with."

Hope smiled at her sympathetically. He knew she really didn't want to have to go through this, but she'd do anything for her daughter. Hope turned to Kairi once again. Despite her trying to put on a dramatic act, it really was a way of his daughter expressing herself without truly expressing herself. He looked into her eyes and noted the fear circulating in her pupils. She truly was scared. Her future was left in a void. He could feel for her, since things seemed to be changing in their lives way too fast. It was at a pace his daughter probably wasn't used to.

He'd just have to pray that all goes well.

* * *

The bars opened, slipping seeps of light into the two boy's eye lids. Irritated groans escaped them as their squinted eyes searched for the fools that dared disturb their slumber. They saw two familiar silhouette's with demanding postures standing before them.

"Get up."

The two teens groggily rolled out of bed as they nearly tripped over themselves multiple times. It wasn't until that the officers place cuffs back on their wrists when the two finally woke up.

"What's going on?" Riku asked after a much awaited yawn.

The officer shoved the two boys out of the cell forcefully, causing Sora to look at him with narrowed eyebrows. "Watch it!"

"The king and queen have reported that all prisoners be escorted to the palace to take part in the Keyblade trials."

Sora's face softened when he heard that bit of information. The teenager began digging into his documents of recent memory to recall anything useful. He remembered what Xion told him the day before:

"_He said something about a meeting at the palace. There's some kind of Keyblade stuck in a stone, and whoever can pull it out must serve as the princess's protector. Any of this peak your interest?" _

That's what this must have been about. When Sora came back into reality, he felt another shove by another one the officers (which was getting really annoying) as he and Riku were grouped with the rest of the countless prisoners in the back of a large truck. After another grimace look from one of the many guards, they shut the door without further explanation.

Inside of the large cargo, every prisoner with shackles latched around their wrists wore questionable faces—all patiently waited to be delivered to the palace as their meaningless lives inclined, all except for one certain impatient spiky haired brunet throwing a fit.

"Where are they taking us? This is so unfair. I hate having my freedom robbed of me!"

Riku's calm expression never left his face. "Sora, just calm down, bro."

"Calm down?" Sora asked incredulously. "_**Calm down?**_"

"Yeah," Riku said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Dude, we're on our way to the palace! The _Palace_!"

Riku didn't see the point in his babble, and he was clearly taking this entire situation much better than the panicked Sora Yukana. Perhaps it was the bags based under his eyes and the urge to close them that was hindering him from ingesting this information as completely as Sora, but it was still slightly irritating.

"What's the big deal?"

"We don't know what goes on at the palace. Who's to say that they won't just kill us if we don't live up to their needs?"

Sora knew one thing, he most definitely did not have what it took to protect the princess, so he labeled the possibility of him being the chosen one as an impractically. If his theory was correct, he'd be screwed—to put it blatantly, and he'd never see Xion again. Riku noticed how the brunet kept twiddling his fingers to keep his nerves calm.

Riku got some amusement out of his horrified facial expression and the way he fidgeted with anything near him, despite the fact that Sora looked absolutely pathetic.

"You're thinking way too much," the silver haired boy said nonchalantly with an all-knowing look. "They're not gonna kill us just because we can't lift a fucking Keyblade. Chill your balls, dude."

"I can't calm down, because I don't know what's going to happen. I _hate _being ignorant towards the future! I can't stand not knowing!"

This kid wouldn't take a chill pill for anything. Riku figured he must still be a little traumatized by the entire situation as a whole. Sora couldn't believe that he was actually in this picture, because he had never painted himself in it before. He never _considered _the fact that maybe he wasn't as badass as he thought he was to get captured and led to the palace against his own will. That's just a horrible way to look at it; there's always a possibility that things won't turn out the way you plan them. In fact, it's quite rare that things ever go the way you originally plan.

Riku needed to calm him down before Sora went into some kind of disturbed state of mind. Poor guy just couldn't handle what was happening to him, and Riku sympathized. It wasn't that long ago when he himself was in a similar state of denial. Didn't take away the fact that Sora was being an assbutt however.

Riku used the little movement he had with his cuffed hands to slap the boy back into reality. Sora eyes widened from the sudden blow and glared at Riku. His heated gaze demanding answers.

"Relax," Riku deadpanned. "It's not the end of the world, things could be a lot worse, and quite frankly, I suggest you get used to it because there's nothing else we can do."

"But—"

"No, I hate seeing you act like this. We barely know each other, but I can tell, you're not acting like yourself right now. Come on, would your sister like seeing you like this?"

Sora was taken aback. The scary part was that he was right. If the situation was different, and it had been Xion in front of him right now, she probably would have done the same thing Riku just did; effectively knocking some sense into his dumb ass.

Sora was a paranoid person. He never took any unfamiliar situation too lightly because he was well aware that people are—for lack of better words—dicks. He knew not to carelessly hand over his trust to anybody wholeheartedly. The only one he could trust was Xion, and everybody else went to the back of the line. Sora was always alert, always second guessing things, but not once did he think that maybe some situations were out of his hands and that perhaps his efforts were numb to his benefit.

Sora relaxed his tensed muscles as his lips traced a ghost of a smile.

"You're right," he said, shaking his head to his overreaction. "I'm sorry about that. This is just—I dunno, a lot to take in."

Riku could understand—feeling completely perplexed to the point where you question your own sanity—he was there once. It was almost like looking into a mirror. He looked into Sora's scared, pained eyes and he saw himself in a way. But he couldn't shake that feeling that kept jabbing at his gut that everything would be alright for Sora.

He offered a warm smile.

"Dude, you're gonna be okay. Trust me on this one."

Sora scoffed in good humor. "And how would you know that? Are you some kind of sidekick?"

Riku chuckled as he smirked. "You'd be surprised."

* * *

The princess gulped down a glass of cold milk in her bedroom. She parted her lips from the glass rims with intense breathing. She had nearly suffocated herself in her much needed refreshment. Times like these forced her to drown herself out of her anxiety. She was not looking forward to witnessing a cascade of prisoners entering the castle. Her mother had informed her that they were on their way moments ago.

It wasn't so much so that she thought that she was better than them (which she did) but it was more so that she didn't want one of the prisoners to be a deranged rapist or a disturbed serial killer.

She wiped off her milk mustache before handing the empty glass to William. "Here."

He took it with a sympathetic look on his face. "Are you okay, princess?"

She sighed. "I'm fine, William. Thank you for your concern. I just want to get this over with."

"Don't worry. I'm sure that none of these filthy vermin would be the ones chosen to serve you. They're dirty scum who can't take a minute to structure a productive lifestyle. You have nothing to worry about, princess."

She nodded to him halfheartedly as her lips had formed a straight line. She dragged herself out of her room with William in tow. She was fully clothed in an elegant blue dress with nearly translucent white sleeves grasping tight on both arms.

She sat down at her throne wordlessly as her parents looked at her with concern. The subtle worry in their daughter's face was almost terrifying. It was like an intense free-for-all just desperately waiting to commence. A bomb that was seconds away from exploding. Serah sat down on the steps that led to the thrones with an anticipated expression while sipping on another juice pouch. Merlin silently leaned against his son-in-law's chair with his arms crossed.

"Are we all ready?" the wizard asked the rest of his family. They all nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Then let's get this show on the road."

A loud boom was heard by the door. William rushed to greet the captain of the guards, Captain Pete. The two shook hands.

"Welcome to our residence, Captain."

"Ain't no problem. Boys, bring 'em in!"

As Pete and William walked further inside to get closer to the family of royalty while inducing in small talk, a line of men came stumbling in with tiresome, depressed faces—Sora and Riku were near the middle of the line. The chains on their wrists attested to their lack of free will. It didn't help that they were in the presence of crowned heads, each of them knowing that they'd never have a chance to live in the warmth of such prestige. It was just a big slap to all of their faces.

However, some of them weren't as depressed, Riku being a primary example. This was just another day by the riverboat for him.

Sora had calmed down but it didn't ease him to the point of gaining Riku's tranquility. He examined the main foyer that had been blessed with an unnecessary vastness. The light cast from the grand chandelier bounced off the white walls as a compliment to the room's beauty. The prisoners were stepping on a red carpet that led to the thrones ahead, dirtying it up with their bare feet. Sora felt bad for whoever did the laundry in this establishment.

Aside from that, there wasn't much to this room. The simplicity of it teased of what was further to be desired within the rest of it. Sora began to wonder what it would be like if he and Xion lived in a place like this.

The prisoners all stopped once they were in front of the stone with the Keyblade sticking out of it. Sora looked at it in amazement. It was one thing to hear the rumors, but to actually confront the rumor to confirm its existence was very overwhelming.

An awkward silence filled the room at an uncomfortably fast pace, until Pete bowed towards the king and queen with the tip of the hat, soon noting the prisoners not doing so. He gave them a dirty look. They took the hint and all followed the suit.

"It is a pleasure to be within the presence of such humble superiors, your Majesties."

With a welcoming smile, Hope shook his head. "Don't think of us as your superiors, Captain. We're just regular people trying to make this world a better place."

Sora was surprised at his answer. Wasn't he supposed to be snooty and stuck up? Since when was a king so humbled? Sora had to give him props. He had never seen or met any of the royalties, but so far, the king was making a good first impression on him. As the prisoners stood up, Riku's eyes landed on something that caused a heat sensation to stir inside of him.

The princess sitting on her throne with a nonchalant expression did something to arouse the butterflies in his stomach. Despite her displaying any emotion, she still had a magnetic pull that his eyes couldn't help but be attracted to. Her hair was smooth. It went slightly past her shoulders and her eyes reminiscent to the ocean. Not to mention those pink lips…

He turned around to see Sora's teasing grin, ending his fascination

"I saw you."

"What?" the older boy asked offensively.

"You were totally staring at the princess."

"You got it all wrong."

Sora rolled his eyes. Denial was such a waste of time. If everybody just admitted things to themselves and others more often, life would be so much easier.

Riku's eyes ended up landed onto the attractive countenance of the princess again. "But you got to admit, she's pretty cute." Even though, cute seemed like too much of an understatement; a mere mockery of her exquisiteness.

Sora looked at her as well with inattentive eyes. "I guess."

"What do you mean, _you guess_? She's beautiful, and you know it."

Sora shrugged. He wasn't bent on romance; all he cared about was his sister's security. Once that was confirmed, then he'd have time to screw around. No pun intended.

The trials soon commenced. One after one, every prisoner was forced to pathetically attempt to lift the Keyblade out of its position. A feat that was by all means, easier said than done. Every time a prisoner failed, they were beckoned to head back to the truck cargo with their wrists once again cuffed, guards watching their every step to make sure no one tried to escape.

Fail after fail, it was a repeated cycle. This proved to just be a waste of time the further this process expanded. As the line grew shorter and the closer it came to Riku and Sora's turn, Serah's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull while sipping obnoxiously on her juice pouch. She went to her inattentive niece and shook her by the arm.

"Kairi," she said quietly so that no one could hear their conversation.

After a few blinks that returned the princess back to reality, she looked at her aunt, slightly annoyed. "What is it?"

She pointed to Riku and Sora, who were absentmindedly gazing at the impressive scenery around them.

"They are _hott! _And I say that with two T's, girl."

Kairi rolled her eyes at her aunt's odd speaking mannerisms as she took a better look at them. She had to admit, they were very attractive—and by far, the best eye candy out of all of these other measly prisoners. But it didn't matter to Kairi, they were still prisoners. Sure, they looked nice, but what if they were secretly some of the most dangerous criminals in the Radiant Garden society. They were in prison for a _reason _after all. Not to mention the fact that they were poor.

Serah began fixing her hair and threw away that silly juice pouch while trying to look sophisticated. "Darn, the _one _day I decide to leave my hair the way it is, and a pair of hunks delivered by god just waltz in."

Kairi didn't respond. She didn't know anything about boys anyway. She had never been in a serious relationship before. One of the many downgrades of being a princess.

"That one with the silver hair is just _dreamy. _Mm, look at those muscles… he can work out on me any time."

"Hm," is all Kairi says, tempted to just walk away at this point.

"That one with the spiky hair is adorable. He looks like he's about your age, too. Isn't that great?"

Kairi almost zoned out from her aunt's childish fantasies. She catches her attention right before she was able to drift off. "I guess."

It wasn't long before the man in front of Riku miserably failed to boost the valued weapon out of its position. With many heaves and hos, he finally gave up and allowed himself to be cuffed once again.

Claire sighed. "Thank you for trying."

The guard walked up to Riku and unlocked his cuffs, much to his relief. The silver-haired boy took a deep breath before turning back to Sora, who had given him an encouraging smile.

"Good luck, buddy."

Riku responded with a thumbs up. He walked before the stone whilst wiping his sweaty hands off his shorts. He gulped as the king and queen stared him down expectantly. He noticed the girl with pink hair standing next to the princess was licking her lips as her eyes swooned over him. Was she checking him out?

"State your name, son," Hope requested.

He bowed out of respect. "Riku Shizuka, sir. Despite the stereotype of a prisoner that you've probably labeled on me, I would like to let you know that I'm not as bad as you may think." He did a boyish whip of his hair while flashing his charming smirk. "Give me a chance, and I may just end up surprising you."

Hope and Claire were impressed. Most of these prisoners had either been timid, aloof, or slightly rude, although they dared not be disrespectful in fears of getting their heads taken off. This young man seemed hospitable, mysterious, and had a certain confidence to him. If he happened to be the chosen one, which seemed likely at this point, then they would have no complaints.

Serah started fanning herself. "Somebody call 911, this boy is 'bout to give me a heart attack!"

Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Alright, here goes…" Riku said once he placed his rough hands on the Keyblade. Not a sound was heard, not an eye blinked. It had to be him, it _had _to be. The way he carried himself, his posture, everything about him screamed worthy of being Kairi's protector.

Riku pulled, and it didn't budge. The silence became uncomfortable.

Riku began using all of the strength his well toned physique had to offer, but the Keyblade didn't even dislodge a centimeter. The family's face all looked with disappointment, especially Serah. They would have sworn it was going to be him, even Sora thought so, but apparently, destiny loved playing games with all of them.

After a few more moments of Riku struggling, he gave up—looking at the royal family apologetically. He soon washed that depressing face with an optimistic one.

"Looks like it's not me, your Majesty."

"Don't take it to the heart, boy. You would have been an excellent bodyguard for my daughter."

"Thank you, sir."

Claire sighed in disappointment. "He was a sweet boy, too." Hope nods in agreement.

Riku began walking off to go get his arms cuffed again to reenter the cargo, but a hand tugs on his wrist.

"Oh no you don't, sexy, I'm not giving you up that easily," said Serah with a seductive expression.

The guard looked at her suspiciously. "Uh—ma'am—"

"Quiet, Jeff. This one's staying with me. He can be _my _bodyguard."

She smashed Riku against her. Riku wasn't complaining. This chick had a nice rack. He looked at Sora with a suggestive wink, and the brunet rolled his eyes but maintains his smirk. Riku was lucky, he supposed.

Sora then returned his attention to the stone before him. If Riku wasn't the one who was destined to lift that Keyblade, then there was no way in hell he was. The guard unlocked Sora's cuffs and the boy stepped up to the rock, looking at the king and queen without his vision impaired. He noticed Pete looking upon Sora disapprovingly. It took him _years _to catch this kid and now all of the sudden, he may have a potential 'get of jail free card' by simply lifting this Keyblade.

Pete shook his head of the thoughts. There was no way this kid was the chosen one.

"My name is Sora Yukana."

William's eyes widened as he turned to Sora with gritted teeth. "Don't speak to his Majesty without him addressing you first, peasant!"

Hope lifted a hand to ensure his vizier to calm down. "It's okay, Will. We don't like to be thought of as superiors anyway."

Sora smirked at him. "That's good, because I don't see you as my superior. In fact, I think you're just a bunch of snobs, if you want me to be honest about it."

Everybody in the room looked at Sora as if he were crazy. Hell, he _was _crazy. Did he know how much trouble he could get into for saying something like that? Somebody give this kid a manual on how this royalty stuff works. Kairi was appalled as well. How dare he say that in front of them? With that type of boldness, god forbid that _he _be the one to accomplish this feat.

Hope only laughed as Claire gave the boy a smirk, much to everybody else's surprise.

"I like this kid," Claire said to Hope secretively, and he nodded in approval.

"Is that so?" Hope said to Sora as his laughter died down. "Well, step on up Sora."

"Sure." Sora jumped on the rock and eyed the Keyblade. He placed his hand on the handle and looked towards the royal family with a nonchalant look. "Although, I doubt that I'm the guy you're looking for."

He used his other hand to grapple the Keyblade and did what everybody else does before him. He pulls, and he pulled rather hard. The Keyblade didn't budge one bit. He stopped in the middle of it and gave the king a shrug. His grin perhaps noted his triumph.

"Oh come now, Sora, surely you can do better than that," Hope encouraged.

Sora huffed out of disappointment, not really wanting to have to cater to such a responsibility as he resumed pulling as hard as he can. Little progress is made moments later, until he felt something. The Keyblade moved slightly. He dug the Keyblade into the hole slightly to try and wiggle it out of its position, and once he got a better feel of it, he was able to pull with a lot more ease. He shut his eyes as he strained himself slightly from the pulling, and suddenly, in the midst of the darkness inside of his eyelids, his arms become a lot lighter.

Sora heard collective gasps. He opened his eyes to see Pete looking at him as if he were an alien, then noticing that the entire room was looking at the boy with bafflement, incomprehension, bewilderment, all of that put together into one big mixture of denial.

Sora tried to figure out what all the gawking was about until he looked over at his right hand, and noticed one, itsy, _teensy _little detail that would change his whole life.

He was holding the Keyblade in the air. Effortlessly, if he may add.

Sora swung the Keyblade around a little to get a feel of it. "Me?" he asked rhetorically and incredulously.

"HIM?" nearly everyone in the room said.

Riku chuckles. "Well, would you look at that…"

Hope and Claire stood from their thrones as Merlin gawked in amazement. Kairi was just star stricken as her mouth was gaped.

Sora rubbed the back of his head, still in disbelief. "Wha-ba-wha-da-da-wha…me?"

Sora thought he was the very _last _person who would be suitable for a role like this. But here he was, gripping the Keyblade as if it had been his in another life. What was the meaning of this? Something had to be wrong. The Keyblade disappeared in his grasp as he clenches a fist.

Claire smiled as relief took over her body. She was just glad to finally have this over with and get these strangers out of her home. Hope walked towards Sora with a welcoming smile as the boy hopped down from the stone. The king placed a strong hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Son, you and I have some business to discuss."

To Be Continued…

* * *

**I guess you all saw this one coming lol**

**Sorry about the long chapter. I personally like it when a chapter is a little longer, but apparently it's not a good thing. I was going to just stop it at the part with Xion, but I didn't want to have to wait too many chapters just to get Sora to get his mitts on the Keyblade and come into contact with Kairi. So, please tell me if you think the long chapters are okay in a review please. I would appreciate it dearly because then I'll know what works and what doesn't. **

**And I didn't forget about Xion, I'll touch more on her later, but only a little. I didn't want to add anything else to this just yet. **

**And I give a special thanks to KittyKat1217, Lightning Shock, Methodadrian, PurgeJuls, SoranoxSora, Xanthos934, blackyjamm, lordibau, nenu145, Pink bean, MasterKaze, and ventus535 for either reviewing, faving, or following. It really does feel good to know that my writing is being enjoyed by others and it inspires me to write more every time I see an alert telling me that one of you guys are liking it, so thank you! **

**And much thanks to Lightning Shock who gave me the idea to make that scene with Sora more dramatic, so I tried to do that up there, because the first idea I had was admittedly lack luster. I hope this is better. **

**And just to let you guys know, I've bumped Kairi's age up to sixteen just because- I dunno- it feels better :P**


	5. Castle Tour

How did life lead Sora here?

No.

Seriously.

How?

Here he was standing in the middle of the main foyer in the prestigious palace next to Riku in front of the king and queen, sitting at their thrones. The princess had an unreadable expression but she was just as lost as he was clearly. That other girl—what was her name? That's right, Serah. Her eyes had been fondling him and Riku ever since they got there. That Merlin wizard was picking at his teeth, but he was just as focused. The place seemed harmless enough.

But this wasn't just any palace. It was _thee _palace. The palace that held the remnants of royalties that Sora so desperately envied, but at the same time—hated with a scorching passion. His hate for them existed because he had to shed insurmountable buckets of sweat every day to feed himself and his sister. But the food he brought home, the water he brought home, wasn't even a fraction of a fraction of a centimeter to what these people could get by simply snapping their spoiled rotten fingers. They had the power to make dreams come true for peasants like him, but did they do it? Does he really need to ask you that question?

If you needed the answer, just look at strays like him and Riku. They were two perfectly fine young men who just so happen to have living hell's as their lives. But just because of one little mishap, mostly due to their parent's foolishness, they were placed in tough situations that no teenager should ever have to go through. Sora isn't blaming his parents because they were human, so mistakes are almost a necessity. But these royalties know damn well they could help all the remnants in the city who are dying, they know damn well that they could make the town a better place while they pat themselves on the back for relishing in their own money.

Now all of a sudden he's standing in their presence when it's convenient to _them_? When they need _his _help? Give him a break. This is all just a load of bullshit.

King Hope could sense the war breaking out in Sora's mind, and he looks at the boy sympathetically. Riku was getting a little worried. Ever since Sora pulled out that Keyblade, he had been in such a sour mood. Shouldn't he be a little more excited or humble?

King Hope stood from his throne and walked towards them.

"Sora, I know this must be a lot for you to take in. But the Keyblade chose you, which means you're the one who's destined to care for my daughter."

Sora crossed his arms, an agitated look on his face as he snarled threateningly. "I don't really give a damn about you or your daughter."

Everybody in the room gasped aside from Claire and Hope. Hope's expression remained structured.

Kairi turned to Claire with an exasperated look. "Mother, he can't be saying such things, can he? We should lock him up!"

"Be quiet."

Kairi was taken aback, but concluded by her focused eyes that her mother did not want to talk at the moment as she analyzed the situation. The princess sat back in her seat with a pouty expression.

Hope looked at Sora's eyes with the intensity circling them. Nobody is sure, but if one them threw a punch, all hell would definitely be broken loose. All of that nonsense is thrown out of the window when Hope smiles at him.

"Sora, I know this is a lot to take in. But you have to understand—"

"Understand?" Sora said, practically on the verge of laughing. "Understand what, exactly? So I'm supposed to just bow down automatically to a king that I don't even consider _my_ king?"

William shuffled to Hope and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Quit talking to the king like that! You're lucky his Majesty is too altruistic to behead you! Should I escort him back to prison, sire?"

Hope shook his head. "Let the kid say what's on his mind. Do you have something to say to me, Sora?"

"You're damn right I do! Wanna know why I was a prisoner? I'll tell you why—I was a thief. I stole from the market so that I could get something to eat. You wanna know why I had to steal? Because my sister and I have been homeless ever since we were kids. I have no education, no parents, I have nothing except my sister who's probably worried sick about me. Did you know about that, _sir? _Did you know that there are tons more like me out there, stealing not because they want to, but because they need to in order to survive?"

Hope didn't move a muscle.

"I bet you don't, because you're too busy swimming in your own ego to be bothered to help those that are in need! And now I'm supposed to just cater to yours when the time is right? By the way, don't ever call me a kid. Don't."

Hope fixed the collar on his expensive dress shirt. "I understand you, Sora."

"No you don't!"

"I do," he said calmly. "You feel like we as royalty have been neglecting our duties to help the innocent, only concerned for our own benefit. However, how can you make an assumption towards somebody you don't know?"

Sora wanted to come back with a snappy response, but the words wouldn't sound themselves from his mouth.

"We as royalty have a responsibility to help the community as a whole, not individuals. I'm sorry, but the best we really can do to help is to create regulations that can transcend across the country, including this town."

In the end, the king was right. Sora did make an assumption of their character before he even got the chance to get to know them first.

It was just bothering because of all the suffering he had to go through. In due time, he grew used to the idea of scraping for food and was able to put a smile on his face despite their troubles. Perhaps because Xion never let go of hers, and he would have if it weren't for the fact that she was there for him every step of the way.

In hindsight, it was his fault for not taking them to foster care. They decided that living on their own would be best for them, and now he's complaining that the king and queen didn't help him with a situation that they didn't know about in the first place. He must have sounded like a real jerk.

"I-I…I'm sorry."

Hope merely chuckled as he placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Don't sweat it, son. I know how much this must be for you to handle. Perhaps it's our fault for trying to obscure you into so much responsibility so fast. I apologize as well."

Sora gave the king a weak smile. Sora was always prideful, but he wasn't too prideful to the point where he couldn't admit when he messed up. This was one of those times. He needed to cool down and let everything sink in. He already prepared himself to get used to life in prison, but before he could even gain experience, he's thrown right into the palace. He really ought to be more grateful. Was he really complaining that he got to leave prison and temporarily live in the palace? More like it was the circumstances, but that didn't excuse anything.

"Until then, let's take it slow. There are some potential tribulations threatening to harm Radiant Garden, and until we come to prevent those tribulations, I need you to keep my daughter protected. If you want, after we figure the situation out, you can even leave the palace and I won't even send you back to prison. Do you think you can accommodate?"

After some thought, Sora gave him a slightly hesitant expression. "Yeah, I think I can."

"Excellent." Hope turned to his daughter, who was still parked on her throne. His sudden gaze caught her by slight surprise. "Since he's going to be your bodyguard, how about you show him around the castle?"

Kairi's eyes were locked in confusion. Her sight fell onto Sora, who was giving her a solemn smile. It was as if he were saying 'I'm willing to try this if you are'. But after his words about not giving a damn about her or her father, why should she even associate herself with him? Not to mention he was a peasant. She couldn't get over it. She thought her bodyguard would have been a rich, muscular, and devilishly sexy knight. All she got was a poor, scrawny, and admittedly pretty cute teenager the same age as her.

Kairi puffed while turning her head. "I don't want that audacious freak anywhere near me."

Sora's smile turned upside down, but he shrugged it off. "Whatever." His job was to protect the bitch, not marry her.

Kairi's eyes widened in rage as she stood up from her chair. "What do you mean, 'whatever'? You should be beseeching for my trust, you dirty frog!"

Sora looked at her as if she were just plain stupid. "Yeah? Well, I'm not. Get over yourself."

"How dare you?! Who do you think you are?" She looked at Hope expectantly. "Father?" Why wasn't he saying something? This peasant was being highly disrespectful towards her and he wasn't doing a thing about it. Hope smiled at her and shrugged. As far as he was concerned, she needed a nice dose of reality. And that the reality was in the real world, people don't care about you unless you give them a reason to. Claire would agree.

Kairi irritably turned her attention back to Sora. "You're just some street rat and you dare talk to me that way?! I ought to—"

"Don't worry," Serah interrupted, turning everyone's attention to her. She walked up to Sora and hugged his arm, purposely pressing her chest against him. "If Kairi's not up to the task, then I'll escort him around. What do you say to that?"

Her expression screamed seduction, but Sora didn't really care. "Sure, I'm game."

"Wait, don't!" Kairi said.

"Make up your mind already. You're wasting everybody's time." The way he said it so nonchalantly was what made Kairi want to rip her hair out. She was so used to peasants like him being respectful, merciful, and cowering.

But here this dolt is, treating her as if she were a regular, average, everyday person.

Riku chuckled at the display nervously. He was hoping that Sora would keep his big mouth shut, or else he may get them both boiling in hot water. Riku placed a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Excuse him; he's just a little cranky this afternoon."

Kairi scoffed. A hand placed itself on her shoulder, and she saw Claire looking at her with that warm smile that somehow proved to be agonizingly annoying, because she always knew what that smile was telling her and that what that smile was saying was the right thing to do.

Kairi threw her arms up in defeat. "Fine!"

She marched up to Sora and noticed the close proximity between him and Serah. She scowled at her aunt, which gave her the hint to back off.

"Alright, since you will be my guardian, I guess I can show you around. It'd only be natural."

Sora looked at her unsure of what to do, whether she was being truthful or not. Sora did not trust anybody so quickly. In fact, he was still on the fence with Riku, and the princess was no exception. She began walking off expecting her protector to follow, but he doesn't. She turned around with furrowed brows.

"Well? Come on, get a move on! Dirty frog…"

Sora sighed as he followed her. Riku gave him a mocking thumbs up. Sora would have flipped him off if the king weren't standing right next to the silver haired boy. So he settled with rolling of his eyes as he stares blankly at Kairi's back.

"Be back by dinner," Claire called out.

Neither of them responded as she led him up the stairs and they walked into a hallway. As the pair's presence was numb to the rest of the room, an awkward silence hit the air until Riku spoke up.

"May I say something, your Majesty?"

"You may speak."

Riku bowed before him. "I'm so sorry for his rudeness, he did not know of what he said to your daughter."

"Nah, I don't mind." Hope's amused face confused Riku to no end. "That girl needs somebody to knock some sense into her, and you know what? I think he might be able to do that."

Riku had to admit that the princess did seem like a—well—a snob. "I'm surprised that you're not throwing me right back into jail."

"After the day we just had? No. I'd say you're a pretty decent young man and we'd welcome you in the castle for a little bit. That and…" he pointed to Serah, who is rubbing her cheek against Riku's back.

Riku smirked. "I can get used to this."

* * *

They walked down the hall in complete silence. Was it awkward? Well, it would have been if either of them gave a crap about each other. Sora's hands were stuffed in his pockets as his gaze aimed straight ahead.

He took in the sight around them. The wall to their right was just a huge window, allowing the sun to gush through. They walked on velvet carpet that made Sora's bare feet shuffle comfortably against it. He decided to break the ice, "We haven't formally introduced ourselves yet, huh?"

She didn't say anything.

"I guess you know by now, my name's Sora Yukana."

"Do not speak when I don't address you."

"Nice weather, huh?"

Kairi stopped. She turned to him with an angered look. "Did you not just hear me? I said shut up! Don't say anything to me unless I say something to you first, or you ask to say something. Do you understand me?"

Sora was picking at his teeth. "Hey, have you ever, like, had something in your teeth but didn't know _what _the hell it was? I seriously hate that."

Her eyes widened as her pupils shrink. Was he deaf? Did he not just hear her? Was she not crystal clear?

"What's your problem? Can't you understand what I'm saying?! It's an unwritten rule that a peasant does not speak to a royalty unless spoken to."

Sora yawned as he stretched. He began walking aimlessly down the rest of the hall with his hands laced across the back of his scalp. "Man, you're boring. Is this how you treat all of your visitors? Make sure you don't ever become a tourist guide."

She looked at him incredulously. "And just where do you think you're going?"

"To explore the castle," he said as if it were obvious. "You're clearly no fun, so I might as well just look around myself."

She fumed in anger at his stubbornness. Once he turned the corner, something donned on her. It hit her like a wrecking ball. Did a peasant just ditch her? Did that measly disgrace to the ground he walks on just leave _her? _A princess! How dare he? It should be she ditching him, if anything.

Whatever, she supposed. She didn't want to walk around the castle with him anyway. She proceeded up another set of stairs as she heads to her room.

Around the corner, Sora stopped in his tracks once he came across the backyard garden. He placed his hands on the window as he stared in bewilderment at its beauty. He had never seen such a garden. He noticed a maid watering the plants. The boy decided to open the window, noting a ladder conveniently placed right before him. He climbed down with the maid still ignorant of his presence, due to her back being turned to him.

Sora placed his hands in his pockets as he casually paced towards her. The closer he got, the sound of her humming a tune gracefully became more apparent to the ears. He stopped right behind her and checked out how she was planting seeds in the refined soil.

The brunet crouched down to level with her as he examined her planting methods, though she was still unaware that he was there. She reached for her water pot, opened her eyes, and her sight set on a boy unfamiliar to her looking at the dirt intently. She flailed back as a cry escaped her.

"AAH! Who are you?! Why are you here? Get out or I'll call the guards!"

Sora didn't seem very scared, and for good reason. He got a gander at her face and noticed her blonde hair, wondrous eyes, and her quivering lips. He stood up while offering a hand. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna bite. I'm the princess's guardian so you don't need to be afraid."

Sora noted her confusion. It was almost as if she was looking inside her brain to think of what to do next. She hesitantly took his hand as he helped her up. She took a few strands of her hair and nervously placed them behind her ear.

"I-I'm sorry for that. I'm sort of a klutz."

He waved it off with a smile. "It's okay."

She outstretched her hand. "My name is Naminé Seijuku Shita. I'm the maid around here."

"Sora Yukana."

Naminé looked at his face closely, trying to get a good look into his eyes. He looked at her strangely.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

That was note number one for Naminé. Usually when greeting a new face, especially a male, they grew tense nervously due to her intoxicating beauty, but this boy seemed to be just fine in his own skin. He didn't bat an eye, nor was he frisk due to her propinquity. This was quite impressive.

So for once, she met a normal human being, someone down to earth who doesn't get caught up in childish fantasies. This should be fun.

"Oh, just taking a good look at the infamous chosen one. I'm surprised at your appearance."

He looked slightly offended. "That so? Why's that?"

"I guess I was just expecting somebody a little—you know, older."

Sora looked at her; still he had that skeptical look. "Yeah?" Sora effectively shook off his assumptions. "Anyway, you mind telling me what the deal is with this castle, and that bitch princess?"

She giggled. "Sure. How about we chat over tea?"

* * *

Kairi walked into her room and slammed the door shut. She threw her tiara to the side and plopped her bottom on her mattress, efficiently clutching her sheets.

It was such a baffling experience for her. How dare such a low life just ditch her as if she were on his level? He had no business speaking to her when not addressed to in the first place. Where did that boy get off?

She shook her head of those useless thoughts and decided to get some fresh air. She walked over to her window and opened it as the sky smiles down on her room. She leaned against the sill and noticed that pesky maid talking to someone. It was probably one of the other servants.

Just as Kairi was about to yell at her to get back to work, she realized that the person Naminé was conversing with was Sora. She budded out, realizing that she didn't want to be reminded of that unmannerly insignificant frog. She closed her window back up and marched back over to her bed.

* * *

She poured the light green liquid into the tiny teacup happily. Naminé always loved serving others. It was probably why the job of the household's maid fit her perfectly. Sora took his cup and stared at the tea with uncertainty. Throughout his sixteen years, he had never tasted tea before.

He sipped on the cup slightly before gagging. Naminé chortled at the display.

"Don't you want me to put sugar in it first?" she asked with courtesy.

An embarrassed Sora placed his cup in front of her once again. "Oh yeah, sure."

"This must be your first time drinking something like this, judging from your attire." He looked at his raggedy clothing, realizing that he and Riku probably stood out. "It's quite alright. I used to be like that once."

She poured just the right amount of sugar into his teacup. She looked so peaceful. Sora couldn't help but ogle at her, but not necessarily in a positive way. She was gorgeous, no questions asked. Her soft, porcelain skin was mesmerizing. So why was it that…

…he wasn't attracted to her?

She noticed his staring and blushed, tucking hair behind her ear. That was the second time she had done it. She smiled nervously.

"Is something wrong, Mister Yukana?"

He shook his head while squinting. "Everything's fine. It's just that you're very beautiful."

The tint of red on her face grew deeper. Her second note was that he seemed to be quite fearless. He rarely got embarrassed and seemed to just go through life as he took it.

"Thank you. That's very sweet of you to say."

Naminé sat across from him, elegantly sipping on her tea. They were outside in the garden sitting at one of the white outdoor tables that was cast in the shade of an umbrella that was held up by a pole stuck into the table's surface.

Sora took another taste of his tea, which was ten times more bearable than the last time he sipped out of it.

"So Naminé, how long have you been working here at the castle?"

She smiled. "For about three years now, although, it wasn't always like this." Her smile saddened.

"How so?"

"Kairi and I go way back. I was an orphan, you know." Sora was surprised, since he was one as well. "Kairi's mother and father took me in. They act as if they did it out of the kindness in their hearts, but I think they really just wanted Kairi to have a play mate." She chuckled. "Being a princess, she didn't have many friends growing up."

Sora didn't show signs of sympathy from that last sentence. If that crummy excuse was the reason why the princess was so bitter, then it was dumb. He didn't grow up having friends, but he made the most of his situation. He found a best friend in Xion. It made him realize that although having friends was important, family is where the heart is. Kairi obviously didn't know that. It seemed as if she took her family for granted.

"Anyway, I guess you could say I was hired to bring the princess happiness. I did for a while, I suppose. We were best friends." Naminé smiled as she reminisced. "I remember, we were only five years old, playing with Barbies and running around the house in a game of tag even though it would get on her mother's nerves so much."

"Sounds like you two were really close."

The blonde relaxed her dainty jaw on her palm. "We were." Her eyes averted themselves up to Kairi's window. "We were inseparable. It was to the point—where I was starting to consider her my sister." She took another sip of her tea before sighing in pleasure. "Then when I turned thirteen, I told them about how I planned on moving from here to get a job. You know, start my career on my own. But Kairi insisted that I stay here since I was still very young, so her parents gave me the job as the maid." Her lovely blissful expression soon turned into a more depressed one. "But it was around those years that Kairi started to change."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Change? In what kind of way?"

Naminé used her spoon to swirl around in her cup. "It was when she started to become a lot less cheerful. She was showing signs before that she wasn't the once kind, caring, and amazing princess that she used to be, but I didn't really pay attention." She sighed. "By the time she was fourteen, it was all over."

Sora stared at the contents within his teacup silently.

He couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to turn the princess into such a pretentious snob. He figured that it wasn't any of his business so he kept his question latent in his mind.

Naminé shook her head and smiled. "But enough of these depressing memories. What about you?"

Sora drank out of his cup as he thought how to formulate his words. He held out his cup. "Could you pour me some more?"

"Sure." Naminé did as such. When his cup was once again full, Sora began shaking it softly while watching as the dark liquid as it edged against the rim.

"My parents died when I was a kid when I was eleven going on twelve. Ever since, I've been running around on the streets trying to feed my sister."

Naminé looked at him sympathetically. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault." His eyes narrowed to the grass. "But still…I'm worried about her."

"I understand," Naminé said weakly. "It must be hard not being able to look after her."

"You have no idea."

Shock painted Naminé's face. "Oh! I've been spending so much time talking that I forgot all about the clothes I left in the dryer." The blonde quickly downed her tea and stood up, giving Sora a bow. "I hope we get the opportunity to chat like this more often."

He nodded. "Sure."

Off she went to tend to the laundry, and Sora sat there, unsure of what to do. He stood up and walked back into the palace, deciding to explore a bit more. He wished Naminé was with him so that he didn't have to get lost in this gargantuan bastion.

He stuffed his hands in his pocket and pressed on. Not too long into his peaceful walk, he heard a snarl that sounded a tad threatening. Sora looked down to see a tigress glaring at him with her teeth gritting.

"Hey," he simply said. "Got a name?" He asked as if she would actually answer.

Flame roared at the unfamiliar boy, but he didn't move a muscle and merely looked entirely uninterested. He began walking away casually.

"Fine, asshole. Be that way."

Flame, despite being an animal, was confused. She was used to humans aside from her owners to tremble in her company, fearing her for her perilously sharp teeth. She decided to test him by running at him on all fours, but she was subdued rather quickly when Sora placed his foot on her head, hindering her from continuing.

"Don't even think about it, pussy cat. Not in the mood right now."

Sora begins walking off, and the tigress felt overwhelmed. However, she couldn't help but respect the boy for not being scared. As he aimlessly wandered around the halls, he noticed that the tigress had begun following him. He looked at her with a suspicious gaze.

"What are you doing? I said get lost."

She gave him a look that said, 'Make me'.

He sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. I don't care."

She walked in front of him and nudged at his feet.

"What's wrong?"

Her look said, 'What's wrong with _you_?'

"Nothing," he answered, being able to read her facial expressions easily for some reason. "I'm just—lost." He examined his surroundings. "No for real, I'm like—totally lost. Do you know where I can find the kitchen?"

Flame nodded and walked off while using her tail to gesture him to follow. Sora did as told and walked casually behind her. As they proceeded through the castle, Sora got to see some of the gorgeous scenery they had lying around, such as statues and large rooms with all kinds of stylish furniture. Even though he wasn't comfortable at this moment, he had to admit that this was a very nice pad. It made the abandoned library look like the lowest of the low, without question.

Flame finally led him to the kitchen and presented the refrigerator to him. He patted her on the head as he passed. "Thanks, girl."

Sora dug inside of the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. He looked around at the kitchen awkwardly. "Uh…where are the cups?" he asked Flame.

Flame gave him a blank stare, since she didn't know where they were at either, due to her never having to use one before.

"Don't know, huh?"

Sora began looking through all of the cabinets, but each and every one of them only had recipe ingredients. Where the heck were the glasses? He looked at the milk carton once more and pondered. He figured he might as well just drink out of it. Besides Flame, there wasn't anybody else lingering around to watch, and who was she going to tell anyway? She couldn't talk.

Sora placed the carton to his lips and glugged it down. The cold dairy tickled his throat as his body was overcome with pleasure. That was some good ass milk. It must have been the finest milk money could offer. Flame looked at him with slight disapproval.

"Don't give me that look, I'm really thirsty and I don't know where those stupid cups are."

Sora was about to drink more before a voice halted him. "What do you think you're doing?"

He nearly spat his drink from the unexpected tone. He turned to see the princess dressed in pink sweats and a tank top, crossing her arms. She looked as if she were about to scold her child. His eyes were focused on her clothes. Sora didn't know that a princess was capable of wearing such casual clothing.

"Were you drinking out of the carton?" she asked with disgust.

Sora averted his gaze to Flame, asking her what he should do with his eyes, but she only gave him a shrug. Or at least it was the closest thing a tiger could do to make a shrug.

"You disgusting little twerp!" She snatched the carton out of his hands. "Such an inconsiderate frog, mindlessly appealing to his own needs."

"Can you stop with the name calling? It's getting annoying."

"Whatever," she responded, throwing the milk into a nearby trash can. "How about you make yourself useful around here and fix me something to eat?"

"It's too bad I don't know how to cook."

She sighed. "God, you're useless."

"Hey, I'm a peasant, remember? What did you expect?"

She rolled her eyes as she began walking into the main entrance. The only reason she came down here was to find a servant that could whip her up some cereal, but there was no way she was having cereal after Sora just violated her family's milk.

He followed her, much to the princess's annoyance.

"Don't follow me. It makes you look like a creeper."

"Look, I hate to say it, but we have to start getting along if we're gonna do this."

"Okay, fine." Well, that was easy. "We'll get along perfectly as long as you learn to know your place as part of the lower class." Never mind. "Bow before me and you'll earn my dependence."

"I don't get into that crap." Sora clenched his fists. "We're all human, we're all equal. There is no such thing as higher or lower class, because we're all the same."

She scoffed. "Except for the fact that I'm better than you."

Okay, that's it. Sora grabs her by the wrist, which caused her to turn quickly. Her eyes demanded answers.

"Just who do you think you're touching, you mongrel!"

"I've had just about up to here with your attitude. You think you're so much better than me? The only reason why you're royalty is by sheer luck that your mom and dad had sex. Otherwise, you'd be no better than any man walking down the street."

Kairi tried to ignore the lewd images of her mother and father having sex as she gave Sora an all-knowing smirk. "Of course, that means I'm better than you. There's a reason I was born into this family, and it's because I was destined to be your superior." She placed her hands on her hips, looking as if she just solved the case.

Sora shook his head. "You're such an idiot." He began walking off, and it was Kairi's turn to follow him this time.

"How dare you? Don't call me such names, you frog!"

"You're calling me names, so why can't I call you some?"

"Because I'm better than you."

He turned around to look at her right in the face. It seemed that they were about the same height, with Sora about an inch taller. He used his index finger to flick her on the forehead. She placed her hand on the spot.

"Owie!"

He rolled his eyes and continued walking. She stomped in anger.

"Very well, I just hope you'll enjoy sleeping outside tonight where it's cold!"

He didn't respond. What, did she think he _wanted _to be around her while he slept?

As he left the room, Kairi screamed in anger. She was beyond words at this point. She never knew someone like him could be capable of such disrespect.

He silently walked down the hall. He had a photographic memory, so it was easy for him to remember where the backyard was. He could use an afternoon nap. A door opened in the middle of the hallway, and out of the door came Serah.

She was dressed in some black and pink lingerie. She leaned against the door frame with a very luscious pose, batting her long eyelashes at the boy.

"Hey, Sora…" she said huskily.

"Hey," he deadpanned. He didn't even give her a glance. After getting over the confusion, Serah ran up to him and stopped the boy from continuing.

"So, Sora, did you maybe want to…" she began twirling her hair. "I don't know, come in my room for a bit so that we can—talk?"

"Not interested."

He walked past her without hesitation. She looked absolutely stunned. _No _man has ever rejected her advances. Even Riku succumbed earlier. Sora just walked past her as if she were a big wad of nothing.

It was kind of—sexy.

Sora entered the backyard. He didn't see Naminé anywhere around, so he decided that some shuteye would do him some good. The brunet lay down on the grass and watched the setting sun. His thoughts were scrambled, not knowing what to do.

He thought to himself as he held out his hand, and it wasn't long before the Keyblade popped into his hand. He looked at the radiant weapon without much emotion present on his face.

"What the hell did I get myself into?"

* * *

**Is it just me, or is this chapter a little lack luster? Sorry if it is, but this is Sora's first day at the castle, so we have to get this out of the way. I tried to make it as interesting as I could, but if it's not, please tell me and any other suggestions you may have to help improve this chapter or any other chaps in the future. This chapter should be the official end of this little intro, and we can finally start getting on with the plot. I'll try to have that out as soon as I can. **

**It took me a little while longer for me to get this one out because I didn't know how I wanted to handle it, and I'm a perfectionist so if it takes me a long time to update, it's either because of other things or I'm just being indecisive. **

**Anyway, this story has 17 follows and 13 favs, and that was only with four chapters! That's so awesome! I love you guys so much for that! Seriously, you rock! **

**So, I give a special thanks to everybody who's been supporting. I'll do another shoutout if I eventually hit thirty in either category (favs or follows). Till then, take care and much love to all of you! **


	6. Reiterated Judgement

Confliction within the mind is such a cruel hindrance.

Sora sat lazily atop the thick rail of the balcony that watched over the backyard garden. Across from the brunet was Flame, dangling her tail down the edge.

This had become Sora's unofficial leisure spot. The backyard was by far the most magical scenery throughout the entire castle. It was simply breathtaking. If only Xion were here to see this.

It had been four days since Sora found out that he was the chosen bearer of the Keyblade. The king and queen had been in and out of the castle frequently to check on the impending heartless situation in the town. Serah had been spending time with Riku, despite the fact that Sora noticed the unsatisfied expression on her face. Riku even asked Sora to see what was up with Serah, since she was avoiding the silver haired boy lately. Sora and Flame had gotten particularly close, due to the pet continuously following him around all day, but he didn't mind. He thought it was kind of cute. Xion would have loved her.

Sora and Kairi were mutually avoiding each other. Neither of them had any intention of getting to know one another. They were just too different. They came from two completely different worlds, and neither of them was interested to come to understand the fine points of their perpendicular lifestyles. All Sora wanted was for that princess to realize that the world didn't orbit around her. Perhaps Xion would be able talk to the princess. She always had that sweet nectar of charm.

Xion, Xion, Xion. He couldn't for the life of him get her out of his head.

Whether it was guilt, worry, fear, or all that mixed into one big steamy pot of denial, all Sora knew was that he needed to see her. Was leaving really an alternative? It wasn't like the princess longed for his aid, and it had been fairly quiet around here. He was simply an extra resident that she paid no mind to. Living in the palace wasn't anything special or beneficial; he was still nobody.

What was the point? There was none. He should just leave here and allow them to forget about him once it's all over.

That was what his mind said—however his heart was an entirely different story.

Despite the urgency to up and vanish, something in his heart told him he was right where he needed to be. It was the only thing that kept him from walking out of the doors his first day here.

"Mister Yukana?"

Sora turned his head to find Naminé standing before him by the door. "Oh, what's up?"

"You look kind of lonely out here."

He chuckled lightly. "I'm not lonely, Flame's right there."

"That's not what I meant."

His eyes warded off to the garden, watching as the breeze flirted with the trickling leaves. Naminé's third note was that he seemed to be quite a loner in the company of new faces.

"Mister Yukana, if you ever want to talk, I'd never oppose. I'll drop whatever it is I'm doing if that be the case."

"Thanks, Naminé."

She walked over to the balcony rail and sat besides Sora's foot. Flame rested her head on the maid's lap, and Naminé didn't hesitate to stroke her soft fur.

"I know how you feel, Mister Yukana. You're worried about your sister. You said her name was Xion, correct?"

He didn't utter a sound.

"I see that look on your visage… and I can tell… something is killing you softly inside right now. There are so many mixed emotions smeared on that face. You must be very conflicted."

Sora had no appreciation for her pep talk. "Why are you here?"

She gawked at him timidly. "I-I'm sorry, I just wanted to see if you were okay. I hate seeing you look so confused… a-and scared, Mister Yukana. It just doesn't seem to be part of your character."

"How would you know that?" he asked, not once parting his eyes from the garden.

"I have a knack for reading people just by observing their facial expressions, body language, and actions. With that information, I can easily come to understand a person and their background. All this time you've been sulking over your sister. It led me to finally realize what's been troubling you." She turned her head to him. "You made a promise, didn't you?"

His eyes widened.

"That's what I thought. That's where the guilt is coming from. Let me guess, you promised to stay by her side? And now that you're here in the castle, you feel as if you're betraying her."

His gaze deformed into an emotionless facade.

"I had a feeling," she said as she returned her gaze to Flame, watching her rub her head in pleasure to Naminé's magical, miracle-working fingers, "I know what it feels like to make a promise to someone, but fail to keep it. It's probably the reason why… Kairi hates me so much."

There was something she wasn't telling him, and he knew it. Unfortunately, Sora didn't care enough to even bother asking. Whenever she was ready to spill, she would spill.

"I lost my best friend, just because I couldn't keep that stupid promise. It's my fault Kairi is the way she is now. Mister Yukana, I don't want you to have to go through that, the feeling of letting someone down, and then never being able fix the damage no matter what you do. But I also want you to do what is right. So no matter how confusing it is right now, or how painful it is… you have to understand that you must always follow your heart."

Sora stood up from the platform rail. He furrowed his brows. "I'm leaving."

"W-what's wrong? Where are you going?"

"I don't appreciate liars, Naminé."

With that vague statement, the chosen one walked into the vast hallways. Anywhere was better than here. He didn't like being played for a fool. Naminé was clearly perplexed. What on earth did he mean by that?

He walked without direction. The halls seemed a lot gloomier this afternoon, so empty and hollow. Naminé wasn't entirely wrong however, she was right about following his heart. There's a big difference between what you want to do and what you need to do.

He wanted to ditch this place and go see his little sister—but he shamefully admitted that this was probably where he needed to be. The reason was uncertain, even to him.

He saw Kairi coming his way still clad in her sleeping attire. Her face was about as expressive as a brick wall. That awkward moment when you come into contact with the sole person you've been avoiding the past couple of days was at full throttle. The two passed by each other without uttering a peep.

Who was he kidding? There was no need to be here. The princess wouldn't even acknowledge his existence, let alone even speak to him. Maybe leaving was the best thing to do, and then all of this tension in the air could evaporate. His presence was just holding everybody back.

Sora came across the main foyer, but ducked by the rails once he saw the unexpected. Two men in black cloaks is a classification for suspicious. Need he say more?

"What business do you have here?" Claire asked.

In the main foyer, two individuals were dressed in long black cloaks with their faces discarded within the shadow of their hoods. They stood before the queen. The intense pressure of their chilly aura felt like darkness, but Claire wasn't frightened. She had her sword tucked into her back pouch just in case. If they wanted to start something, she'd surely oblige to their wishes by turning into Lightning once again.

The cloaked men bow before her. "Is it a crime to visit the queen after such a long absence?"

"Yes, if it is unannounced. Who are you?"

She could practically see the smirk forming underneath that dark hood.

"An old friend of yours."

Funny, his voice wasn't familiar, yet an ocean of nostalgia flooded through Claire's veins. Goosebumps began to become aroused and her irritation welled up.

"I'll repeat my question, and this time, I expect a name. Who are you?" Her mood quickly shifted into an unpleasant one. Suspense was not the queen's forte.

"I'm sorry your highness, that's classified." Claire growled, "It's been quite some time, though. I have to say, you're still just as gorgeous as before. How old are you? You should be thirty seven, if I recall correctly. You look ten years younger. The perks of privileges to a royal pedestal, I suppose."

Claire clenched her fist. Mind games were also not her forte.

"Oh, if only such an honor were to be bestowed onto me. Tell me, Queen Claire… what is thirty seven minus sixteen?"

She raised a brow. "Twenty one?"

The disguised figure chuckled. "I'm here to forewarn you of the danger that is to come."

"What danger? Does it have something to do with the heartless?"

"Ah, still ripe as fresh fruit, no doubt."

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce. Tell me what you know."

"There's a fleet of heartless headed this way. My suspicions lead me to believe that they are headed towards the canyon. For what reason, my colleague and I do not know."

"Hm," Claire mumbled, still unsure whether or not to trust these shady beneficiaries.

The leader of the two outstretched his hand. "Come with me, and I can show you where they are. Together we can protect the people of this city."

She shook her head. "No, that's quite alright. My husband is out on patrol right now. If he sees anything, especially something as obvious as that, he'll let me know."

"I suppose it is a rain check, then."

She squinted. "I suppose it is."

"One more thing before I go. I've heard rumors that a certain Keyblade wielder is within these premises. He is the one chosen to protect your humble princess. Is that correct?"

Sora grunted from afar, preparing to draw his Keyblade if necessary. Sweat began to dribble down the side of his forehead. He'd be a goner if the queen spoke on his behalf.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Claire declared. Sora's fears had been repressed. "There are no Keyblade wielders in this castle. You must have heard falsely."

The cloaked figure stared the queen down, as if he were looking into her soul to find the truth. Her eyes were convincing enough.

"What about you? You're a Keyblade Master, aren't you?"

"That's all in the past. I am only a humble queen. I would like to politely request that you leave, or I'll have my men escort you out."

The figure chortled. "Thank you for sparing these few minutes with us, your Majesty." He mockingly bowed once again as he and his protégé exited the citadel.

Claire drowned herself into her thoughts. That man was too familiar for her to be at ease. His voice may have been alien to her, but it was the choice of his words that pierced her. Was it… it couldn't be… he was locked up, so she had nothing to fear.

Right?

"Hey," Sora said, walking towards her. "I heard from upstairs."

"Oh?" She smirked at the boy.

He nodded. "Thanks, I really owe you one."

"You owe me, huh?" She walked over to Sora and tenderly touched his shoulders. A heat wave rushed through his body from the sudden intimate act, but he remained straight faced.

"Then I have one favor to ask of you."

"Sure, anything."

"Please protect my daughter. Keep her safe, no matter what."

Why that of all things?! That was _not _a promise he was looking forward to fulfilling. Damn woman, why must you do this to him? He was just having thoughts about leaving and now you throw this at his face? Now if he left he'd seem like a huge dick burger.

She chuckled lightly to his facial expression and kissed him on the cheek. She watched as he softened up quite a bit before she strutted off. Sora turned around and gawked as her hips swayed. It was as if she ambled effortlessly. Why couldn't he have the job of protecting _her _god damn it?

He realized there was no turning back now.

He decided to do what he always did when going through one of his accursed epiphany moments. He took a walk around the castle. Even after the four days of him wandering around the grounds like an idiot, he still had an entire half yet to be explored by his uninformed eyes.

He stopped by Kairi's room. Contemplating whether or not if he should go in there to try and patch things up between them was a pain, but he decided against it. Now wasn't the right time.

Sora came across Serah's room and didn't even think to knock before trespassing. What lied beyond that door caused mixed emotions to spur. There she was, the girl he was just about to talk to, wearing nothing but a towel over her body to cover the juicy bits with another towel being dabbed all over her damp hair, indicating that she had just gotten out of the shower. She looked at Sora with a puzzled expression.

Neither of them flinched, moved a muscle, or even made an embarrassing notion. They simply swallowed the situation at hand and decided not to make a big deal about it.

"Sorry," Sora said, as if this were something normal. He began to make his way out but a delicate hand lightly grabbed his wrist. He turned back to Serah and noticed the sultry look.

"Leaving so soon?"

She roughly pulled him into the bedroom, quickly locking the door before placing her back against it. She made another one of those poses, making her look absolutely delicious.

"It's quite the coincidence that you would stumble in here without warning me. My, are you _that _forward?"

His barely attentive gaze did little to progress the conversation.

"A man of few words, huh?" She walked behind the brunet, wrapping her arms around him while pressing her cleavage against his back. "I happen to find that sexy in a man."

He rolled his eyes. "I told you before, I'm not interested."

She caressed his chin. "Oh, you don't mean that. No man in the world has ever rejected my advances."

"Well, I think you finally met that particular man." Sora broke out of her hold.

She pouted. "You're no fun."

As if he actually gave a damn. "Anyway, Riku wanted to know why you've been giving him the cold shoulder."

She crossed her arms as if she were ready to scold somebody. "Riku is a flounder."

His expression asked for answers.

"It's like going fishing. Flounders are the easy ones to snag." The sultry look returned. "But what I want is a challenge. I want to snag something worth my while. I want a catfish."

It didn't take the sixteen year old long to figure out she was referring to himself. She must have been one of those types of girls who liked men who played hard to get because they were so used to effortlessly seducing men with the snap of their finger. To see a guy not look at her with a love struck gaze must have been a turn on for her. He never understood that 'hard to get' fling people have. Wouldn't you rather settle with someone who was willing to give you their all without having to put in all the extra work? Sora mentally groaned. It only meant that he dug himself in a deeper ditch than he had intended.

"Sorry. I'm not looking for anybody right now. Not when I have someone else to look after."

The one who he needed to be with right now was Xion. Her name kept echoing in the clogged cave that he labeled as his thoughts. They constantly reminded him of the guilt he felt for leaving her unprotected. She probably thought he was dead by now, or something to that degree. It had been five days since he last saw her. The theory crafted a pang in his stomach. He ignored it as he turned his attention back to Serah.

"Is that so? You're already taken?"

"Not in the sense that you're putting it into. But sure, you could say that."

"I see." She became visibly disappointed. "That's too bad. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up that easily." She winked.

Her words had no weight on his shoulders. As far as he was concerned, she was wasting her time. Precious time she could be using on easy meals like Riku.

"Sorry to bother you."

"Wait."

It's never easy, is it? He turned to her. "Yeah?"

"You really do need to talk to Kairi," those were the last words he expected to come out of her mouth, "I know that you two aren't on the best terms right now, and I know Kairi seems like a total… you know…"

Oh, he knew alright. Hence, the reason why the avoidance was put into fruition.

"Trust me; you two have a lot in common."

That statement hit him like a boulder, simply for how _bold _of a statement she was implying. His and Kairi's name being placed in the same sentence as 'a lot in common'? What kind of mental institution did this girl come from? The shear monstrosity of the spectacular declaration made Sora burst into fits.

As his laughter died down, he wiped a tear from his amused orbs. "Thanks for the laugh. I needed it."

He left, leaving Serah to ponder of the possibilities. She knew by encouraging him to speak to the princess, she was practically throwing him into the arms of her niece. The reality was that she knew that Kairi needed him a lot more than she herself did.

But if Kairi didn't take advantage of the situation, Serah will gladly snatch that boy up all for herself.

What to do, oh, what to do? Sora didn't know whether it would be best to confront Kairi about this or to keep things the way they were now in hopes that they'd just banish him from the castle. Sora knew what they were doing was childish, avoiding each other like little kids that still believed in the cooties. Quite frankly, it was immature. He knew this, so why did he not stop it? The question pounced on his brain. What was he supposed to do?

_Talk to her, of course! _

Who the hell just said that? He looked on his left shoulder to see an angel version of himself giving him a stern stare. He rubbed his head, thinking he had officially gone crazy.

_I think you are going crazy, _the angel said, listening to Sora's thoughts, _This is childish, Sora, like you said it is. Didn't your parents raise you better than this? All you're doing is running away from your problems. _

Yes, but running away seemed like the best way to go.

Running away is how we tend to resolve our problems, without necessarily resolving them for the better. It allows us to escape from reality, find that special happy place, and forget whatever it is that's troubling us. The pain can finally wash away against the shore, being lost in the deep blue sea completely abandoned by land. The fear of the problem at hand can depart from the forefront of the mind.

_But only for so long! Sooner or later, you'll have to confront your problems and face them. Ignoring the situation is just stupid. You're basically asking to get slapped in the face with it later on. _

**Man, fuck that bitch. **

Sora turned to his right shoulder to see another small version of his self dressed in a demon outfit.

**That prissy princess doesn't know anything about what we've had to go through. She's never had to lift her finger in her entire life, the little puss ass. What's the use in trying to find a path that isn't there? It's just a dead end that'll always be a dead end. **

Also true. He and Kairi simply didn't have it in either of them to understand each other and probably never would. They were the complete opposite of compatible. If that were the case, then what was the use in wasting his time?

_You'll never know unless you try. Who knows? Maybe Kairi is actually a really nice girl. _

**Nice girl? Ha, have you seen that tramp? She's not gonna do him any good. **

_But how would you know that? If you've yet to experiment these kinds of things, you'll stay in a complacent state of mind. _

**You're really starting to get on my nerves. **

_Are those fighting words? _

**Come at me bro! **

The angel and the devil began fighting right in front of Sora's eyes. He was convinced that he was officially insane at this point. He must have gotten spiked when he had something to drink earlier or something. Was it Naminé? It was probably that damn Naminé!

After finally cleansing himself of his odd hallucinations, he realized what he had to do.

Sora stood in front of the door with the name **Kairi Estheim** plastered across. He knew that if he knocked on the door, there would be no turning back. If he spoke to the princess, there would be no turning back. He'd lose the opportunity to leave and visit Xion. But the punishment for leaving without telling anyone wasn't worth it. This was the best route to follow.

He took a deep breath as he mustered up the courage to knock on the door.

Come on Sora; get your head in the game. There was nothing to be afraid of. He rapped his knuckles against the door. He waited thirty seconds and still received no response. He knocked again.

"Princess? It's uh—it's me, Sora. I know you're in there."

No response.

"We need to talk."

...

"Fine, if you're gonna be that way, I'm just gonna barge in."

...

"Okay, you asked for it."

Sora opened the door to find Kairi within the possession of the two men in black cloaks that were speaking to the queen earlier. Didn't they leave the premises? One of them had their hand around Kairi's mouth to keep her quiet.

"Hey!" Sora yelled as he sprinted towards them.

The figure flaunted his hand towards the boy, causing a gush of wind to be blown at his direction. Sora flew out of the room, hitting his head against the wall.

"Oops," the black cloak said sarcastically. Sora growled at the foes as they began sprinting their way out of Kairi's room. Sora got to his feet and pursued them.

One of the cloaked men somersaulted into the air. As he twirled in the midst of his airborne, he unleashed two red beams of energy that extended directly from the palm of his hands. He called them the Ethereal Blades.

"Out of my way!" Sora cried.

Xemnas smirked underneath the hood as he scuttled towards Sora with impending speed. Sora dodged his attack with a dodge roll. Before he had a chance to grasp the situation, Xemnas popped up from behind.

The cloaked individual slashed his energy blades at Sora with fast succession. Years of escaping from the paws of Pete's guards made it almost mandatory for him to teach himself quick reflexes. Sora was able to duck and dodge every hit Xemnas attempted.

At one point he tried to bring his blade down on Sora, but inevitably missed, causing him to break one of the priceless artifacts.

"You know, you really suck at this," Sora joked.

"Shut up."

Xemnas continued attempting to hit the boy, but he was just too swift. Sora rolled under the cloaked figure's legs. He swept them with his own leg, causing Xemnas to come hurdling down.

Sora figured that ought to buy him some time. He sprinted down the main staircase to see the other cloaked figure with Kairi hunched over his shoulder, pounding her fists against his back.

"Let me go, you jerk! If you don't unhand me, I swear to god I'll make you pay!"

Sora rolled his eyes. Yeah, because he's _really _gonna let you go just because you request him to. It was bad guy 101 that they never give up that easily without another motive. With that in mind, Sora didn't even bother to say something pointless like, 'let her go' or 'hand her over'. He just got straight to business.

He focused on his mind, soul, and his body. A light shined by his palm, bursting into his Kingdom Key Keyblade. Sora ran towards the individual with his grip tight on the Keyblade handle.

Xehanort smirked underneath his hood. He had a feeling that Claire was lying earlier, and now he had clarification.

Sora lunged in the air and swiped Xehanort with the Keyblade. Master Xehanort cried from the attack and tossed Kairi away. "Argh…!"

Kairi screamed in fear as she tumbled down. Sora placed his hands out. She safely landed in his arms. "Gotcha!"

Master Xehanort, with his face still discarded under the hood, began coughing. "You're quite strong, boy… I say a test is appropriate."

Xehanort disappears, leaving only the two adolescents. Sora was still holding Kairi bridal style. She looked at his face and quickly turned away, trying to hide her blush. Sora was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice. What test did he speak of?

"Uh, you can put me down now."

Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Oh, sure," he said as he awkwardly placed her back on her feet. She wiped the dust off her pink sweats and whipped her hair back.

Sora cleared his throat.

"You have something to say?" she asked.

"I dunno, but maybe a 'thank you' wouldn't be out of the question for just saving your life."

"Idiot, you didn't save my life. You just got lucky."

Denial. "You say that, but the outcome still doesn't change." He smirked.

"Well—I—oh be quiet, you frog!"

Before he could come up with a comeback, the two heard footsteps. They were quite loud and threatening. From up the stairs, the other cloaked individual came stepping down threateningly. Kairi cuddled into Sora for protection, soon realized what she was doing, and backed off of him with a disgusted look. Why was she seeking the protection of such a peasant?

Sora didn't care to pay it any mind as he got into his battle stance. "Stay back, princess!"

Xemnas stopped a few feet away from them, a stare down commenced. Kairi's knees were shaking from the intensity in the atmosphere. She didn't know whether or not if she could rely on the peasant, but he sure did look like he knew what he was doing. He stared back at the figure fearlessly. She had to admit that it was quite admirable.

"Who are you?" Sora asked.

Xemnas took note of his Keyblade. "Ah, it seems you are special, too."

The brunet growled. "What are you talking about? Tell me what you want from here."

Xemnas ignored his request. "You remind me of him."

Sora despised mind games and riddles. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sora gasped as he realized that Xemnas used his gloved hand to blast an energy attack at the boy. Sora used his Keyblade to guard himself and the princess. No matter what, he had to make sure Kairi didn't get hurt. It was his responsibility, after all. With some struggle, Sora was able to deflect the attack as it bursted up to the ceiling, causing a loud rumble.

Xemnas was impressed. This kid has had to have only had the Keyblade for only a short amount of time, and he was already learning the basics. Sora didn't even look intimidated. He was ready to dive into battle head first if he had to.

"You're missing something… someone dear to you is missing in your life. They are a part of you, which means they are a part of your heart. Which means you are not yet complete."

Sora didn't blink as his furrowed brows do enough of the talking.

"Incomplete one…"

Xemnas summoned his Ethereal Blades yet again.

"Allow me to test that power."

Sora turned to Kairi. "Kairi, run."

She took his wise advice and high tailed it out of the main foyer. Sora turned back to Xemnas and gripped his Keyblade, running to Xemnas with full force. He swiped his blade, but looked to see that his opponent had teleported behind him.

Catching him off guard, Xemnas was able to get a hit on Sora's back. Sora rolled back to his knees but quickly flips out of the air, dodging an oncoming laser projectile. "Too slow!"

Sora ended up hitting the ground to make a very rough land for his flip. Sora decided not to dwell on how uncool he made himself look as he stood up to his feet.

With one quick motion, he sensed Xemnas zipping behind him with another attempt to slash at the boy with his blades. Sora turned his upper half body around and guarded himself. He wasn't giving up that easily.

"You seem to be quite resilient, but you're hopeless in this kind of confrontation. I've had numerous chances to end your life already."

"Yeah? Well, you must have been born on a highway because that's where most accidents happen."

Xemnas ignored the pathetic quip. He spun into the air and came down with a hard hit to Sora's back. He grunted in pain. Xemnas should have known. The boy still wasn't properly trained to wield the Keyblade and was still quite the amateur.

Sora struggled to get to his knees before he was kicked right in the gut.

"How disappointing… and here I thought I'd be able to have some fun with a real challenge. However, from my perspective, this is quite the let down."

Sora lifted himself to his feet and weakly got into his stance, his left eye closed to help ease the pain.

"Y'know, I'd like to see things from your perspective. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass."

Xemnas growled with frustration. "You seem like quite the confident one. Are you not trembling with fear? Your life may be at stake."

"Hey, if I die, then so be it. I'd rather die than be afraid of a cunt like you."

"Is that so?"

Xemnas launched himself towards the Keyblade wielder, hitting him with a series of attacks. He batted Sora up in the air like a tennis ball and launched an energy blast at the boy while he was in mid air. Sora hit the ground hard. Maybe he was biting too much for him to chew. This guy was the real deal.

The scary part was that he was holding back.

Before Xemnas could further his punishment on the spiky haired boy, he was hit with another bolt of electricity. He looked up at the second floor to see the queen eyeing him threateningly. Behind her stood Riku and Merlin.

"Hands off," Claire said calm yet forcefully.

Xemnas smirked. "Looks like it's a party."

Claire promptly leaped down to meet with Xemnas as she drew her sword. She attacked with quick movements courageously not backing down.

Xemnas eventually found just enough breathing room to retaliate with another blast from his palm, causing Claire to hurdle back a few feet. She clenched her teeth.

"Don't make me angry… if you make me angry I'll have to become the person I've vowed myself I wouldn't be anymore. Trust me when I say that's the last thing you want."

Xemnas was not afraid from that meaningless statement, but he figured that Xehanort was ready for depart.

"I suppose I'll make my exit, then." He turned halfway to look at Sora, who was on one knee while grasping his stomach. "Hm. This should be interesting."

Sora had enough of him. He ran towards Xemnas, the Keyblade trailing behind. "What are you talking about?"

Sora hopped into the air and came down with a swipe of his Keyblade, however the hit did not contact with Xemnas, for he manually made himself intangible. Xemnas slowly began fading away.

"You may not be able to understand now, but until we made again…"

"I don't care about any of that. Why won't you tell me what you want?!"

Xemnas decided to leave the conversation as it was as he completely fades.

"That is for you to ponder…" was his last words.

Sora took a minute to swallow everything that just happened. Not too long after, he fell to his knees out of pure fatigue. The rest of them all tended to him quickly.

"Sora!" Riku yelled.

Everything went black.

* * *

His eyes met with a bright light. It was as if the sun paid him a personal visit. Is he dead? God, where are you?

Nope, never mind. It was just a regular light bulb. His eyes met with another pair of eyes.

"You're awake," Riku said, sighing of relief.

Sora sat up and rubbed his head. He noticed that he looked and felt relatively unscathed aside from a few scratches patched up by bandages. Sora was soon cramped into the arms of Serah.

"Oh, my big beautiful, handsome knight! Thank goodness you're alright! You had me so worried!"

"Nffggh," Sora said muffled in the pit of her enormous breasts. Sora never thought boobs could be so annoying.

Once he finally relieved himself from Serah, he saw the faces of Merlin, Claire, and Hope looking at him with liberation.

Claire walked up to Sora, looking deep into his eyes. Sora started getting anxious. Was he about to receive a reward kiss for all of his hard work? If this was what he got for saving their daughter, then that girl ought to get in trouble every day.

"Sora…" Claire husked as she drew nearer to his face. Sora puckered his lips, ready to endure the best moment of his life.

Instead of a kiss, he received a slap across the back of his scalp.

"You idiot! You had us worried!"

After quickly getting over the disappointment of no kiss from the queen and the throbbing pain from the back of his head, he gives them a genuine gaze. "You guys were really worried about me?"

"Of course!" Merlin said without hesitation. "You're a part of the family now!"

Whoa whoa whoa, slow down old man. Sora didn't consider himself a part of their family. He barely knew any of them, and it wasn't like he was marrying Kairi (god forbid), he was only there to protect her. Anything else and you were thinking way too far outside of the box.

He didn't want to ruin the moment and burst their bubble with his thoughts, so he just took the kind statement and smiled. "Thanks, guys. Sorry for making you worry."

"Don't sweat it," Hope said. He seemed to like that phrase a lot.

"How did you guys know I was in trouble?"

"How could we not with all of that racket," Serah answered. "But you ought to thank Kairi. She was the one who told all of us the situation. She actually seemed a little worried."

Kairi, worried about him? That'd be a first.

The sound of an unlocking door hit everybody's ear. They turned to see Kairi standing by the door with a slightly agitated look. "Everybody get out. Now."

Sora's visitors did as told. Serah passed by the princess with a smug look. "Party pooper."

Kairi ignored the innocent jab. She glared at Sora menacingly.

"The hell is your problem?" he asked. Now what did he do? Did she really hate him _that _much?

She didn't answer his question as she continually glared at him. After making him as uncomfortable as she could, she finally decided to take a seat next to his bed. After a few more moments of silence, she spoke. "What you did back there… why did you do it?"

What?

"Are you dense? Why did you save me even after all of the horrible things I said to you?" She turned her face, trying as hard as she could to remain prideful. "I-I said that I was better than you. So why…?"

He chuckled at her naïveté. "It's called being a hero. I'm the chosen one for a reason, you know. You may be a snob, conceited, selfish, brat, but…" he sighd, "it's not like I want you to die or anything."

Still, he knew good and well that he put on a pathetic performance against that mysterious man. If he was going to be serious about this, then he'd have to start some training sessions to learn how to use his Keyblade better.

Wait a second; did he just sort of kinda confirm that he was staying? He confirmed yes once he saw Kairi's slightly red tinted face.

"Well…" he hinted.

"Well what?" she responded moodily.

"Well, don't you have something to say to me?"

Gratitude, it had been foreign to her for years now. She congregated the will as she made odd faces. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Wow, this was just pathetic."Typical."

She straightened her face. "Humph! I don't take orders from you!"

Sora chortled, expecting nothing less from her royal bitchiness. "Well, I'm glad you're okay."

He was killing her with his kindness. Did she skip the part where they were supposed to hate each other? Either way, he was still just a peasant.

But with an act he pulled today, her trust was probably the least she could give him.

"Listen up. You've proven yourself worthy today. With this in mind, I will now accept your dependence."

He smiled. "So, does this mean we won't be avoiding each other anymore?"

"Uh—well, I suppose." Her glare returned, "But let's get some ground rules out of the way!"

"Er, okay."

She began marking each rule off with her fingers. "First off, you don't touch me! Second, you don't look at me unless I give you permission to! Thirdly, you follow the orders I give you, no matter what they are! Abide to these rules, and there shall be no problems."

He would have lashed out if he weren't so tired right now.

"Okay." He might as well make her happy as of this moment, and simply not tell her that he wasn't going to follow any of those rules.

She crossed her arms. "And just so we're clear, we are not friends, we are not allies. We are simply associates and nothing more."

"You say that as if I was thinking otherwise."

"And fourthly, don't speak unless I give you permission!"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Kairi."

"AND DON'T ADDRESS ME BY MY FIRST NAME!"

She sighed as she released all of her emotions. She finally got everything she wanted to say out in the open.

"Well, I'm off to bed."

Sora nodded. "Let me escort you out."

She raised a brow, considering that the door was literally three feet away from her, but if he insisted…

Sora sat up from his bed and stood on his feet, grunting slightly from the pain, but quickly shaking it off. He helped the princess out of her chair, leading her to the door.

"Goodnight, Kairi."

"I SAID—"

**Wham! **Before she could barge back in, he twisted the lock. She banged on the door.

"You come out here you worthless frog, piece of trash, unhygienic, unholy, garbage infested, son of a—"

Sora got back into bed and tucked himself in, closing his eyes in satisfaction to the sweet, blissful sound of Kairi yelling in a fit of temper.

Under the heap of the guilt of not being near Xion to keep her secured at the moment, he admitted to himself that, "Maybe this won't be so bad…"

* * *

A cliff overlooked Radiant Garden, and he stood there shamefully with his grandson in tow. It was the same place where the now-queen subdued him with little to no dilemma. For him to even be here right now was a shame to his own name. Master Xehanort took off his hood to reveal his youthful face.

"Master Xehanort, what seems to be troubling you?" Xemnas said as he pulled off his own hood.

"It's nothing, Xemnas." His eyes were attached to Radiant Garden fiercely.

"That was quite the acting performance you put on back there, pretending that the boy had actually put a stop to you."

Xehanort chuckled. "His weak attempt at doing me harm was almost pitiful. I barely felt it. At least now I have confirmation that the rumors were true."

Xehanort never intended to kidnap Kairi. He knew that if the speculation really was true and they were to attack the princess, a savior would come to her aid. And indeed he did.

"Ha, so that's who we're up against? This may be easier than we originally thought."

"Yes, and I had a feeling that the queen was lying through her teeth. I told you going back was a good idea."

"You were right, as always, grandfather."

"What did I say about calling me grandfather, boy?"

"Sorry."

"It's alright." Xehanort placed his arms behind his back, "How about we lay low for a bit? Now that our existence is out of the bag, we need to keep our identities a secret. Until then, we recruit."

"Sounds like plan, Master."

And what a fine plan it was. The thirteen darkness's would be the key to his triumph. The path to rejoice, as he will finally be able to open the door to darkness. He needed seven lights to endure the brunt of a war, he needed that kid alive. For now. Sora was just a stepping stone leading him to the promise land.

"Indeed."

* * *

**There you go! I hope this chapter makes up for the particularly, as one of you said, uneventful previous chapter. I tried to make this one a lot more eventful. Leave a review telling me what you think! Constructive criticism is never looked down upon! **

**"He took a deep breath as he mustered up the courage to knock on the door." maybe some of you caught this but that was a very small nod to Aliciousness a.k.a Kyorii. It's the first line of her story, Dusks and Ladders except it's Kairi instead of Sora in her story. It's not a huge tribute or anything, but Kyorii is definitely one of my main inspirations to write on the website, so that's my small tribute to her.**

**Obviously, that scene up there with Sora fighting Xemnas is supposed to parallel the one from Final Mix. **

**A few of you seem to already miss Xion! lol Don't worry, she'll come back and I haven't forgotten about her. I'm keeping you guys in the dark about her situation on purpose, but don't you guys worry. **

**If you have any suggestions or ideas, I'll gladly take them into consideration. And anything that can help improve my writing is always acceptable. So don't be afraid to give me a suggestion in case you think I may get offended (as long as you're not a troll about it), because this story is for you guys more so than me. All I want is to make something worth while and I'd like to hear from the people who read it. Even if you don't like it, tell what you don't like so that I have something to look at and maybe try to improve on. **

**I'll try to get the next chap up soon. Much love to everybody who's been supporting. Take care! **


	7. True Colors

_You're the best damn thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't want to lose you! Do you hear me? So promise me, you won't leave me…_

A promise can be so hollow. The meaning behind it may be as strapping as an ox and penetrate through your heart like a dagger if it's broken, but at the end of the day, it's only words. It's simply a favor to keep, an errand to run, another thing added to your to-do list. But that word somehow had a certain _feel _to it that made it cuff onto you like a chain, and if you broke it, your stomach churns out of the guilt. At least, this is how Sora felt.

Promise, huh?

Quite frankly, Sora felt like he was a pretty shitty promise keeper.

He promised his mother to look after Xion every day, and then he promised Xion he wouldn't leave her. Both promises were concrete, but Sora stomped on them, creating disrespectful crack. Okay, perhaps that was a little over exaggerated. It wasn't like he deliberately broke his promises; he just had a difficult time keeping them. Juggling pledges was just as hard as it sounded.

In his usual spot, Sora's arm dangled idly over the balcony as the stars subtly winked at him. Flame slept on the floor below, curled up into a cozy ball as she slumbered. If anything, this was the highlight of his days. Just being able to stare at the sky like this was a breathtaking experience. As the breeze came to a standstill, the solid chirping of the crickets became apparent. There was something so soothing, being wrapped up in the dark blanket of the night. It felt warm and secure.

He heard the window behind him creak. He turned around to spot Riku. His eyes were half lidded and he rubbed them wearily.

"Sora," he muttered, taking in a deep breath, "what the hell?"

Was he making noise? Last he checked he was only sitting here.

"What's wrong? And why aren't you asleep in the living room, Riku?"

"I'm hungry, so I woke up." Sora rolled his eyes. "But Naminé is asleep, and I didn't want to wake her up just to fix me something."

"That still doesn't explain why you're here."

"What? Can't say what's up to a friend?"

"Not when it's midnight, you can't. Seriously, what's wrong? Is it something about Serah again?"

"No, you idiot." Riku took a seat on the rail. "So, the princess has you sleeping out here, huh? Pretty chilly, don't you think?"

He shrugged. "Maybe, but that's not really my concern. At least I'm safe and sound."

"Only for so long until the princess gets caught in a spider web."

"Backwards. More like she'll be the pig that's seconds from getting roasted and I'll have to play the role of Charlotte to save her."

"That's a clever way of putting it."

"No, it's not clever. It's the truth."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing. I mean, come on, you're living in the palace now. Any other man would be exhilarated to be in your shoes."

Riches never meant anything to Sora. It was an excuse to spend wealth on pointless artifacts. The last thing he needed was for his life to be controlled by materialistic objects that would only deplete from his common sense. If he had to choose between swimming in a pool full of diamond rocks and priceless earrings or trash mixed with substance found in the market, he'd take the latter simply because he could remain humble. Of course, Sora had been deprived of choices for years now.

There was a big difference between being placed in a certain situation at manual will, or when the situation itself simply called for your arrival. It was hard to be comfortable in a place like this when you know good and well you aren't here for your natural good looks and polished reputation amongst words traded through numerous royal exchanges. Instead, it was more like what he said. He was only there because it was convenient to them.

"Why should I be? It's a regular house that's had a healthy upbringing. Aside from that, it's no different than any other dingy ass house in Radiant Garden."

"That's debatable."

Perhaps, but quite frankly, it was a debate Sora would have preferred to be left in the balance for some other fools to converse. Was this conversation going anywhere, or was Riku just looking for someone to play Dr. Phil with?

"Why are you here?"

"Like I said, I just wanted to chat."

"Bullshit." What did he take Sora for? Sora had one thing that he was proud of; his common sense. He was able to logically deteriorate the barriers any of his stereotypical peers languidly built in front of him. Sora was intelligent in his own right, and the attempt to try and insult that was silly.

"Okay, okay… I guess you got me. If you want the truth, it's nothing revolutionary or anything."

"Try me."

"It's—I'm feeling a bit… weighed down."

"That doesn't explain anything."

"I was getting to that. I feel like I don't belong here, Sora. I feel like you're the main star and I simply got dragged along to witness you bask in the glory of being the bastard who got lucky. Like, I'm the sidekick with a vague purpose."

Really? Was that what this was about? How disappointing. His entire reasoning was just a pathetic plea for sympathy in an effort to string along the fact that he _mattered. _Was Riku always such a little puss ass?

"That's dumb. You're obviously here for a reason. If King Hope really wanted you out, I'm pretty sure he'd have kicked you out without any second thoughts."

"So what you're saying is that they're just using me?"

"I think you're more like the backup plan just in case I don't want to behave."

Riku scoffed at Sora's inference, which was probably accurate.

"Don't feel too bad," Sora said, "you and I are pretty much in the same boat. I'm not comfortable being in a wealthy environment either."

"Yeah, but you seem like you're just going with the flow. I'm wigging out like a dumbass." Because you are, dumbass. "One day, I'm a prisoner with no promising future waiting for me, the next day I meet some dude and end up going to the palace with him. This is all happening kinda fast, don't you think?"

"Meh," Sora deadpanned, "I'm not too concerned about it. As far as I go, I'm just patiently waiting for that opportunistic moment when I can get out of here and find the one who's most important." An image of a smiling Xion entered his mind.

"We're kind of assuming you can even get to that point. All eyes have been on you at the moment."

"The spotlight is on me, sure, but I'm not in control of it. And since I can't conduct the attention I'm getting, I just gotta wait until it dies down." Sora stood up on the rail and dotted his eyes across the magical environment. "Until then, I'm just gonna see what kind of advantages I can gain from here."

"And what about the princess?"

"She can kiss my ass."

Riku laughed. "Dude, have I told you that you're awesome?"

Sora rolled his eyes but smirked in good humor. Sora hopped down from the rail, landing next to Riku. He crouched down to pet the unaware Flame.

"Anyway, that's enough pep talk for me. Shouldn't little kids like you be getting to sleep?" Sora asked with a yawn.

"I could say the same for you, dick."

"Then get out of my sleeping chamber."

Riku shook his head as he walked back inside. "At least I'm not sleeping outside like the pet dog. Even Flame has a place to sleep inside. Why she chooses to sleep out here with you is beyond me."

"I don't care. I like it out here anyway."

"You're just trying to look all cool but I know that you wouldn't turn down a toasty fireplace to sleep by right now."

"Are you offering?"

"Pretty sure I'm not in the position to."

"Then this whole conversation has been pointless."

Riku chortled. "I guess so. Sleep tight."

"You too."

As Riku's form slowly disappeared within the open arms of the shadows, Sora dragged his feet back towards the balcony rail. He slumped over it like a rag. His eyes were barely conscious. He only wanted to see Xion, but she seemed so far away. It was as if she were in a whole different dimension.

This week had been ridiculous. At times, life wanted to parallel a turtle, other times out of nowhere it hit like an oncoming hare. He found himself utterly rotten in the line between fast and slow pacing.

His lids connected.

While lost in the depth of his unconscious hallucinations, Sora felt an obnoxious splash dripping on his otherwise mellow skin. The sudden sensation jolted him out of his blissful daze like a lightning bolt. He shot his eyes open and quickly shook the water out of his hair. He used his index and middle fingers on both hands to rub the blur away from his eyes. Once his vision settled back in, he was able to make out Kairi standing before him all dressed up in a blue gown. An empty bucket was in her hand. He noticed that the sky's expression brightened tremendously. The sun was smiling. How did this happen? Didn't he just close his eyes?

"How strong of a sleeper are you? I've been trying to get you to wake up for fifteen minutes."

Sleeping can be a form of escape. It allows one to run away from their problems by being delightfully unaware of the life that you have come to understand, so quite frankly, Sora didn't _want _to wake up. He didn't want to experience that feeling of sudden awareness with a gush of memories jabbing at him in the head. He didn't want to remember his guilt about Xion. Needless to say, he didn't appreciate waking up to a waterfall.

"What the hell is _so _important that it can't wait until later?"

"It's impolite to swear in front of royalty."

"Is that so? It's too bad that I don't give a _fuck._"

She rolled her eyes. "Keep that attitude up and I'll have you eating dog food for dinner, you filthy vermin." How sweet. "Now stand."

Sora ignored her as he bobbled his head left and right in an attempt to get more of the water out of his hair, making it rain on the pavement below. Kairi clutched his arm and lifted him up as if he were a feather. She had some strength for such a petite figure. Her body was about as impressive as Xion's (meaning, not impressive at all). A collar with spikes grasped Sora's neck. Spikes stuck out of it.

"Whoa, whoa, what the—"

"Quiet. Now that I have this collar locked tight on your neck, I now officially own you. If we're going to do this, then you will have to understand that you are my property. Now go make me some breakfast."

_That _was the big emergency? Oh, stop the presses! Forget about the diseases plaguing the common worker or the terrorist attacks on The Land of The Dragons, for god's sake, this girl needed breakfast!

Bitch.

Sora patted his palm against his ear to shake some of the water out. "Why do I have to do it? Aren't there, like, dozens of servants around here?"

"This is your first act of serving upon my behalf. Besides, I own you. It would only be right if I give you commands like a proper owner should."

"I hate to burst your bubble, actually, no—I'd _love _to burst your bubble by telling you that you don't own me. I'm my own person. And last time I checked, I'm only supposed to be protecting you, not serving you."

"True, but to me, you're nothing but a useless dirt stain on the side of a tennis shoe, so it's the same difference." Her nonchalant tone poked at Sora's nerves. "Quite frankly, your _own person_ plea is only an excuse. You're my bodyguard, and you'll do as I say."

He ripped the collar off of his neck as he tossed it over the balcony. Kairi's jaw dropped. He placed his hands in his pockets. "I feel like I should be offended, but honestly, I find your whole thought process to be hilarious. I'll go fix that breakfast for you, Kairi."

"Don't address me by my first name!"

He used his fingers to flick some liquid into her face before walking idly down the hall.

She growled. "Just for that, you can scrub the basement walls with the maid you dirty cunt!"

Such void words that were destined to remain unfulfilled. Walking through these halls was repetitive. At least he was getting used to it. Sora despised not waking up at his own leisure. Quite frankly, it felt rude to have someone else do it for you. Who did she think she was, tossing him around like a rag doll? He wasn't her slave. She better get her own damn breakfast.

As he entered the main lobby, Sora noticed Naminé lugging two buckets downstairs into the basement.

"What are you up to? About to scrub the walls?" he asked as he caught up to her.

She noticed it was only Sora and her expression softened. She nodded. "The princess ordered me to."

"She told me to come help you."

"So does that mean you'll be of some assistance?"

He sheepishly rubbed behind his head. "Actually, I was gonna tell her to screw off, but you look like you could use a hand."

Sora generously took the buckets from her and adjusted his posture as he proceeded downstairs. Naminé followed behind in good spirits. She could get used to having Sora around.

After Naminé rolled up her sleeves, the two got to work, scrubbing every corner, every visible spot on the wall free of any filth the basement had to manifest. Dust particles swayed the air, cob webs crept into the corners, and they avoided the puddles of leftover rain in the dents of the floor.

They worked in a comfortable silence until Naminé decided to break the ice. "Mister Yukana, are you familiar with Kepler's three laws of planetary motion?" Sora stopped scrubbing the wall as he darted an eye back to her before continuing. "I've thought about it for some time, and I believe this theory might help you understand the princess better. This law describes the orbit of the sun. The first one is the law of orbits. It states that the planets orbit the sun elliptically. The second law, the law of area, states that a line connecting a planet to the sun covers an equal area over equal periods of time. The third one is the law of periods. It allows us to establish a clear relationship between a planet's orbital period and its distance from the sun. Thanks to this law, we know that a planet is relatively close to the sun, like Venus, has a far briefer orbital period than a distant planet, such as Neptune."

Naminé had ceased the progress of scrubbing the walls at this point.

"With this in mind, Mister Yukana, which one of those laws do you think best fits the description of the princess?"

It didn't take long for him to find an answer. The planets orbit around the sun elliptically, in that sense, everything revolves around the sun—and that is just the way it is.

"The law of orbits," Sora answered.

"You are correct. The princess likes to think of the rest of us as tiny, irrelevant little planets that gravitate towards her light, orbiting around her physique. But that's not the case. You and I know this. But you must understand, all her life, her highness has had grown men bow before her when she was just a little girl. Those kinds of quandaries can change someone."

She continued scrubbing.

"It can provoke a type of behavior that isn't suitable for the average commoner, such as you and I. We know that the law of periods is how things are supposed to be."

"Everybody should be equal."

"Exactly. Miss Estheim—just," she lets out a breath, "she just doesn't see it that way, and it's not her fault. It shouldn't be so surprising, but yet I still can't figure out what led her to act that way. I've told you before that I have a hunch that some of my previous actions may have been the cause. Of course, I can't ask her for myself, but no matter how good I am at reading people, I still can't tell what's on that girl's mind, and it's so frustrating it makes me want to scream sometimes, Mister Yukana."

Her scrubbing began to scour the brown walls viciously until she lost control of herself and dropped the utility into the bucket below with droplets stroking down her cheek.

"That's why… you're the only one who can help me, Mister Yukana. You're the only one who has ever had the courage to stand up to the princess. No man before you has ever dared badmouth her and quite certainly not in her presence. But you… you truly are amazing."

Sora balled his fingers into a fist. "Shut up."

Naminé gasped and she turned around to see Sora's back. He had ceased scrubbing as well. He turned to her with arched eyebrows.

"Naminé, I've played your little game long enough."

Her eyes remained unknowing. "What do you mean?"

He chuckled, but his expression didn't match the gesture positively. "You think I don't know about you're little pretending act? All this time you've been playing mind games on me to see if you can toy with my emotions. The way I feel about certain things… such as the princess. You try and act like you're just some innocent, nurturing, and respectful maid who loves serving others. But just like you, I can see right through disguises. I had my suspicions ever since I first met you a couple days ago."

_"AAH! Who are you?! Why are you here? Get out or I'll call the guards!"_

_Sora didn't seem very scared, and for good reason. He got a gander at her face and noticed her blonde hair, wondrous eyes, and her quivering lips. He stood up while offering a hand. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna bite. I'm the princess's guardian so you don't need to be afraid."_

_Sora noted her confusion. It was almost as if she was looking inside her brain to think of what to do next. She hesitantly took his hand as he helped her up. She took a few strands of her hair and nervously placed them behind her ear._

_"I-I'm sorry for that. I'm sort of a klutz."_

"When you saw my face, you were scared out of your socks, threatening to call the guards. The Naminé I've grown to know wouldn't do that. A quote on quote, quiet and timid girl wouldn't be so reactive. And then that face you made, you looked like you didn't know what the hell you were supposed to do next, so you decided to attempt to fool me with one of your sweet and innocent personas. You gave yourself away when we were on the balcony and you told me about how you can read people by their actions. So if I had to make a guess, I'd say that you're an obsessive puppet master. Would I be correct?"

She was baffled by Sora's brilliant deduction speech, but he was wrong. "Why, I never! How could you accuse me of such treachery?"

"See? You did it again."

"W-What?"

"You changed personalities. With the way you've established yourself to me, I wouldn't expect you to get so offensive. The Naminé I know wouldn't say what you just said. I don't know about the other idiots you've probably fooled with your acting ability, but I'm not one of them."

She stood there, frozen in place as if time had courteously halted itself for the maid to digest all of the information Sora had fed her. She was left awestruck by his intelligence. It was not every day she would come across someone with so little formal education to be so sharp, and most certainly not someone who had the aptitude to outsmart her. How could he have figured out such a inquiry with those small, subtle hints? It was quite amazing, the more it processed through her brain.

After all was said and done, Naminé wiped her bogus tears away. She threw her head back and laughed maniacally. It was as if she had heard the funniest joke of all-time. As she collapsed onto the ground rolling into an air bubble of mirth, Sora stood there pokerfaced, a hand on his hip, patiently waiting for her solemness to balance out her jollity.

Her breath began running away. She ceased her laughing in order to chase it before she got an asthma attack. She caught up to her pants as her breathing slowly inclined with her heartbeat once again. She looked up at Sora; she rose to her feet with a smile on her face.

She took a hold of her bonnet and untied it. As she removed it from her head, her gorgeous blonde hair came spilling out. Every strand was inserted with a special indescribable glisten of grace. The tresses of blonde shimmered in the light of the bulb above them. It gave them the little bit of brightness they had in this dingy basement.

Her eyes gazed at him with confidence, half-lidded and her smirk only added to it. This was definitely not the Naminé he had gotten to know for the past week. This was the real Naminé.

"You got me," she finally said. Even her voice had changed. It was deeper than before, giving her that feeling of knowledge beyond her years. "It's amazing really; you're the only person in the world who has ever seen right through me. I guess I should give you your props."

He shrugged as he placed his hands behind his head. "Honestly, it wasn't that hard to figure out. You just placed all the ingredients on the table, I just had to mix them together and make something out of it."

"I don't think I was _that _obvious."

"I guess not, because Riku's dumb ass hasn't seen through you yet."

She laughed. "I suppose that makes you the smartest person in this castle." She plopped onto a nearby black, worn out futon, followed by a tired breath. As her body sunk into the pillows, dust swept into the air. Her weariness from the constant cleaning was absorbed by the cushions.

"Frankly, it's quite a relief. I've met dozens of people from my time here at the castle. I've met countless of servants, hundreds of royalties, but out of all of them, you were the one to figure me out. Congrats, man."

"I still have questions that need answers, like why do you do it?" he asked as he sat next to her. She doesn't hesitate to sprawl her legs across his thighs, a notion he doesn't take too kindly to but decided to let it go.

She took some strands of her hair and twirled them on her finger. "It's like you said, I'm a puppet master. I like to play mind games with people to see if I can toy with their emotions, steer them in whatever direction I want them to drive," she chortled. "Sometimes I do it just for fun. I've made this household pretty chaotic from time to time just because I was bored."

"That's a bit underhanded."

"What can I say? I'm a controlling wench." He knew that already, thank you very much. No need for pointing out the obvious. "I guess I know what you meant the other day when you called me a liar."

He nodded. "I already knew by then, I just didn't want to confirm it for you yet."

"I wasn't always this way, though. It was kind of a gradual change, through my experiences with Kairi. She was always number one, you know?"

She was the princess, what did she expect? "So this all revolves around jealousy?"

"Well, I was very angry by the fact that she got everything she wanted, two loving parents, adult servants that would trip over their own damn feet every time she requested something. So yeah, I'd take jealousy as an appropriate answer. I guess my jealousy blinded me, not that I care."

"I gotta say this really is something seeing you in your true colors."

"You ought to feel privileged. There's only one other man who's seen me for who I am."

"And who might that be?"

She averted her eyes. "Nobody important."

Even now she was still hiding stuff from him. As far as he was concerned, he got her biggest secret out of the way. Everything else should be the equivalent to him sleeping on a pineal gland due to its inferiority to the fact that behind that sweet mask, she's only a conceited and slightly brash young woman.

She stretched her limbs. "I'm tired. I don't even feel like washing these walls down anymore."

"I think we've done enough to satisfy the princess."

Naminé allowed her head to lay against the futon's arm rest. "It's nice to have finally found an associate who's just as intelligent and cunning as me hanging around." He'd take that as a compliment. "For goodness sake, you wouldn't believe how many dolts I've come across in my time. I can't even fathom how they got so rich."

"I'm not surprised." He truly wasn't. It didn't matter how rich you were, wealth couldn't define individuality. Some of the richest names practically had meshed gum for brains and couldn't think their way out of a freight elevator.

"I still find it incredible how much you were able to pick up about me from those small hints. Tell me, what's your secret?"

Secret? He simply took the jigsaw puzzle pieces that she gave him, whether it had been intentional or not, and placed them to together. It's not rocket science, girl.

"I'm just your average, everyday hustler."

"Well _that's_ obviously not the case," she scoffed, "otherwise, I don't think you'd be in this castle."

She had a point. But Sora never thought of himself as anything other than a unfortunate orphan, bound to shady origin by unforeseen revelations. These revelations Sora faced as a kid were the foundation to many epiphanies he came across that not many around his age would have. Come to think of it, what made him so special anyway?

She sat up and fixed her eyes into his until she was deeply located into his visual psyche, alluring herself into his focused orbs.

"There's something about you, Sora. I don't know what it is, but I can say that I'm not surprised that you are destined for greatness." She caressed his cheek her soft hand. "I might even be falling in love with you myself."

He quickly retreated from the futon with a defensive stance.

"Whoa, hold on just a second—"

He stopped once she began giggling. "Relax, I was only kidding." She stood and pinched his cheek. "How could I fall in love with such a bum like you anyway?"

"Cut it out!" he said as he withdrew her hand.

She let out a breath. "We better get back upstairs. Don't want to keep your master waiting, do we?"

Sora almost laughed. "She's not my master by any sense of the word."

"You say that now…"

Naminé picked up her bonnet and tied it around her hair until she retained her innocent maid look once more. But now, Sora knew what was really under that camouflage. It was impressive that she could fool everybody into thinking she was somebody who she wasn't.

"One more thing, Nam."

"What is it?"

"What's your motive? You can't just be treating people like puppets for your own amusement."

"I don't really have a motive, and I say that quite honestly."

"As if I could trust you."

"Touché, but at least I know I'm telling the truth. I've always been interested in life and the paths you could take. With one fatal decision, life can shove you in totally different directions. I've always liked to test that. I've been playing with these royalty fools ever since I became their maid. But isn't it interesting? To think, that I, sometimes by getting my hands dirty or by simply brainwashing them with my communication techniques, can change their perspective on things entirely."

He had to admit, it was an interesting project to partake in. Persuading someone is hard enough on its own, but to completely change someone's perspective on something by delving yourself into their mentality? That took skill. Naminé, despite being an untrustworthy snake, was not an idiot. She was smart, very resourceful, and probably the only one worth having a conversation with in this castle.

"Don't you think you're robbing them of their free will?"

"No. Hey, it's not my fault that they listen to me. It's not my fault that I'm just that damn good."

He couldn't argue with that.

"We should join forces, Sora. With your deduction skills and my ability to read people, we could _own _these people. You and I could be king and queen, and we'd no longer have to bow down before these obtuse, thick-headed snails. What do you say?"

So that was her motive. He should have known her claim that it was just for amusement was entirely false. As interesting as that sounded, the thought of him being a king didn't feed him anything that satisfied his taste buds.

"I'll pass."

The brunet began making his way up the stairs with one of the buckets in hand. Naminé sighed as she picked up the other bucket, following behind. "Oh well, it was worth a shot. But the offer still stands. Think about it, and perhaps we can sort something out."

"Don't get your hopes up."

Sora used a foot to kick the door open that led to the main lobby open. Sora jumped back a little once he saw the stern face of Kairi with her arms intersected, glaring at him impatiently.

"Uh, what's up, Kai?"

She ignored the fact that he addressed her by her first name once again.

"I was just going into the basement to see if I could find any traces of my slave, and what do you know, here you are."

Naminé bowed before her. "Please princess, do not be alarmed. We were only finishing up the cleansing of the basement, just as you requested."

Sora resisted the urge to gawk at her in awe. In the matter of milliseconds she was able to revert back into her sweet and innocent personality. Even her voice was back to being gently high-pitched. However, he kept his eyes focused on the princess.

"Hush, you smutty maid! It shouldn't take half an hour. And where's my breakfast, street rat? If you are too dense to realize I wanted that to be done first and foremost, then I feel sorry for you."

He squinted. "Really, I didn't even clean the walls because of you; I did it to help out Naminé. You got two legs, two arms, and I'm assuming you have a brain too. If I'm not mistaken, those are the ingredients needed for you to go make your own breakfast."

Her mouth was agape. She thought she had tied the loose ends with him, but he still dared be disobedient to her wishes. "You do realize that if I so desire, I could have you killed right now, right?"

He grinned suspiciously. "Really now?"

Naminé didn't like the look on his face. "Don't do anything rash now, Mister Yukana."

The entrance door was in plain view. Maybe this was his chance. All he needed was a distraction and he was home free.

"Don't worry, Nam, I'm just gonna give the princess here a bath." Sora took the pail, grasping it with his fingers firmly, and tossed it in the princess's direction, drenching her in grimy muck. The two females were awestruck, albeit Kairi a tad bit more furious.

"GUARDS! CEASE HIM!" Kairi screamed at the top of her lungs.

That was his cue to get to stepping. His eyes locked themselves on the door. He shuffled his legs towards it as if it were the be all end all, ready to make his escape. Before he could even grace the handle with his fingertips, the guards beat him to the punch.

Sora ran the opposite direction.

"Ambush him!" one of the guards ordered.

A flee of guards came from their positions, chasing after Sora with their swords in hand. Naminé set her bucket down while she took a napkin from her back pocket, wiping the princess off quickly.

"I'm so sorry about this, your Majesty!"

"Get your hands off of me!" Kairi yelled as she shoved Naminé. The soaked princess marched her way up to her room with a trail of water following her.

Naminé discarded her innocent personality for a moment as she spoke to herself. "What the hell is he thinking?"

Sora noticed three bodyguards on his tail while running down one of the many long hallways. He figured his speed would allow him to narrowly drift away. That was until he spotted three more bodyguards running towards him from his front end. Sora skidded his feet along the surface, darting his eyes back and forth from the oncoming forces.

He spotted a door behind him and he slipped inside at the very last second, making the guards clash into each other like cartoon characters. He was shamefully relying on slapstick lately.

Sora breathed deeply but noticed the room's familiar interior. He turned around to spot Serah in nothing but a bra and panties reading a novel with widened eyes. They quickly turn into seducing ones.

"My my, Sora. Have you finally come to make love to me?" She spreaded herself across the bed.

Sora shielded his eyes away from her half-naked form. "God damn it! Do you _ever _put any clothes on?"

"I don't have to if you don't want me to."

He'd rather die than be anywhere near this horny slut. She was cray cray! Sora slipped out of her room. He saw the guards still collapsed on the ground, their heads lost in the clouds. Sora took the initiative to quickly speed down the hall before any of them remembered where they were, and especially before Serah went after him.

His sprints turned into jogs. The further he went into the castle, the more he noticed that there weren't any other mishaps to subdue him. He stopped once he made it to his balcony, wiping the sweat off of his brow. He spoke too soon, because when he turned around, he found an extra five guards waiting for him. That was it, he was cornered. There wasn't anything he could do.

The guards seized him by the shoulders, dragging him to who knew where.

He could confirm that his luck had without a doubt, ran completely empty. Getting caught by guards twice in the span of a week was certainly not his style.

Maybe he was an idiot. Sorry Xion… you'll just have to wait a little while longer.

Assuming that the princess doesn't kill him.

Literally.

* * *

**I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to come out, but I was having the WORST case of writer's block ever. **

**I did everything I could think of to get rid of it! I watched movies, anime, TV, played a little bit of 1.5 Remix to get some ideas for the characters, I took walks, but NOTHING WORKED! I was blank on what to do next! **

**But it's finally out, and while I'm not totally satisfied with what I produced (simply because I'm a perfectionist and I'm never truly satisfied with anything anyway), I am happy with what I was able to come up with. Remember when I said that updates may vary because of how indecisive I am? Yeah...that's what happened these past, what has it been, two weeks since I last updated? **

**I want to make this story the best that it can be, so coming up with what to do next is frustrating. I had other ideas that were scrapped. I was going to have Sora pull some pranks on William, the royal vizier. Meh. Then I was gonna have Sora meet up with one of Claire's friends, who would play a relatively important role. I most likely will use this idea later on, but not right now.**

**Namine has always been portrayed as someone who's shy, timid, or just a regular girl. I decided to make her "shy and innocent" personality just a ruse, and make her a conniving, and rather intelligent girl with a dash of an ego trip. I've never seen anybody give her that kind of personality before. I had this idea ever since I first introduced her, which is apparent from the subtle clues I gave out. And yes, that maid Kairi was yelling at back in chapter 2 was Namine. I got the idea to give her that personality from Ami Kawashima from Toradora!. It's the same concept. Ami acts like a regular sweet girl, but she's just a snobby princess in reality who likes to pretend in order to get people to like her. The only difference is that Namine uses people to her advantage and toys with them to see how they'll react to certain things. I thought that would be an interesting twist. Ami kind of did that, but not really. She was more an observer. **

**I should be able to get the next chapter up soon since my boyfriend won't be around to distract me, what with his new job and all. I already know what I'm going to do for the next chap so hopefully I'll be cured of my writer's block for a long time. **

**There's a lack of interactions between Sora and Kairi in this too. My outline for this was simply 'start developing the relationship between Sora and Kairi' and I didn't do that at all. But with what I have in mind for the next chap, that's exactly what should go down. As long as I don't scrap it. **

**So anyway, much love to everybody who's followed, faved, and reviewed for the past chapter. As always, you guys are amazing and I love you! Tell me what you think about this chapter in a lovely little review please! Do you love it, hate it? Tell me what I should improve on and what suggestions you have! I'd really appreciate it if you do! And thanks for taking your time to read my work! **


	8. Fascination

"Let me go! Come on!" The guards jerked Sora's appendages harder. "Hey, watch it! I'm not one of the defenseless thirteen year old girls you bring into your rooms every night, you know!"

"Keep that mouth running, kid. It's gonna get you eaten up in the world we live in today. Don't ever forget that."

The brute shoved Sora against the wall of the castle's underground dungeon, wasting no time to lock the boy tight in the chains that awaited him.

"Don't you dare even try to power your way out of this. These shackles halt you from summoning that Keyblade of yours." The guard grasped Sora's shoulder. "And don't you even think about trying to escape, period. If you do, you'll have to deal with me. If that's the case, don't ever forget this face. We'll be spending a lot of time together if you dare try being disobedient, and the princess's punishments run through me."

"I never forget a face, but in your case, I'll gladly make an exception."

"Wise ass."

The two guards departed. They passed the princess on their way out.

"We got 'im right where you wanted him, your highness."

"Thank you," Kairi said without taking her fiery gaze away from Sora. She garnered a white tank top and pink sweats. Her hair was damp, using a towel to dry it off. Drizzles that rolled down her radiant auburn plaits inferred her as subsequent to a steamy shower. A fitting decision after Sora drenched her with that rotten bucket.

She stood before him with her arms crossed.

"Might I say that you look absolutely enchanting today, Miss Estheim?" Sora asked sarcastically.

"Quiet."

The air thickened as their mutual glare clotted time. The silence was a foreplay to the potential explosion ready to burst between the sparks they fed each other through eye contact. Sora tugged his wrists against the chains. Deep down he knew he was swallowing undigested time, but the princess had a way of initiating the engine that fueled his drive. That drive prompted his desire to rip her hair out of her skull.

"Look, I don't care if you end up locking me in here forever, I don't even care you send me away with bodyguards, but you have to let me go see my sister! Just once! She's the only one that matters—"

"I said hush!" she interrupted. "What do you not get? You are nothing! You should feel propitious to even _look _at someone of my authority, to even be under the same roof, to even have the ability to ask to speak to someone as important as me! I just don't understand why you won't show me any respect! It's been bothering me so much—I can barely sleep at night! I don't get what your problem is!"

"You want to know why? That exact attitude right there. You think you're better than me, don't you?"

"Well, I am a strong believer in divine right."

He chuckled maniacally. "Why am I not surprised? Of course you would be. In that case, you think I'm not worth shit just because you say so. Well, guess what, Princess? I don't show my respect to people based on their background or their influence, I show my respect to people who know who the hell they are on the inside and have enough sense to show value to others before putting themselves on a pedestal."

"I—I-I don't know what you're babbling about!"

"Of course you don't, because you're a bitch. You say that as if I expect anything more from you, but quite frankly, you're almost a stereotype of the stereotype I created in my head for you royalties. You make me fucking sick!"

"Cut that language! What is _wrong _with you? I have never met someone so disrespectful in my entire life! Have you no shame? Does your dishonorable behavior not affect you? Have you no will to live on? You don't know how lucky you are that I don't end your life for all of the slurs you've labeled me, and the insolence you've shown to my family!"

The urge to laugh hit Sora's gut. "As if death gives me any anxiety."

"What are you, suicidal?"

He chuckled. "Nah, I'm just ready to die. If I'm gonna be stuck with a cunt like you for the rest of my life, then what's the point of living?" Sora allowed a relaxing vibration surge through his body. "All I care about is my sister… and if I can't see her, or protect her, then maybe… maybe I'd be better off dead anyway."

Kairi trembled from such a bold reflection. He practically looked dead already with his staggered hair, void eyes, and lack of muse. "W-Why are you saying that? I-I mean, don't speak so lowly of yourself. Surely your sister will be fine without you."

"How do you know? Oh, that's right—you don't. I'm sick of not knowing how she's doing… she's the only family I have, and you're taking her away from me. You ought to feel ashamed of yourself…"

She gripped her fingers into a fist. "Well, fine! If you're just going to mope all day like that, then have it your way! I'll have a beheading scheduled for tomorrow afternoon!"

"I'm glad!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Kairi marched her way up the stairs and slammed the door shut. Crumbles from the wall threatened to descend caused by the impact of the slam's dramatic exit. Once she had departed, Sora bobbed his head back and laughed.

So that was it, he was going to die tomorrow. The next day, the princess would have his head encased. If he were normal, the thought would have been jarring him, but it was not. His depleted fear of death itself was scarier than the thought of death alone. Sora cared little about living anymore. His life was just a big tease, a never ending joke plagued onto his poisoned days.

Wait a second, what was he saying? He was completely giving up on Xion. He didn't even take her into consideration. He didn't take into the contemplation that perhaps she wouldn't want him to die, but his sentence was already sheltered firm by the princess. He was done for, and there probably wasn't much he could do. It wasn't as if Kairi liked him enough (or at all) to the point where she'd spare him. Not after the way he treated her.

In the end, he'd be able to admit that it served her right. It would be about time somebody taught her a lesson or two, not that she ever learned any of those subtle morals in any case. Now all that was left to do was linger until death did him part from this world. By this time tomorrow, he would verify his permanent slumber.

Sorry, Xion.

* * *

"Master Xaldin, I've come to seek your advice."

Once upon a time, Hope was a thirteen year old prince who had an instructor. Even as a youth, he hated not knowing how to defend himself, leaving all of the stress and labor for his guards. They constantly risked their lives all in a means to keep his own life at bay, but Hope felt guilty if he didn't contribute. He was an apprentice of Xaldin, being taught every technique he knew to this day. Hope's heart wasn't strong enough to have the most fortunate title as a Keyblade wielder, but he could still stare adversity in the face without fear if he so chose to.

Xaldin wasn't the best master, nor did he claim to be. He would punish Hope, at times brutally, if he did not perform a technique to his liking. In that regard, Hope was forced to stay away from his teacher at all costs, and his furious father banned Xaldin from entering Radiant Garden ever again. Hope wasn't exactly comfortable in the presence of his former master, but he wouldn't deny that Xaldin had an impressive amount of wisdom.

Hope stood before Xaldin in a currently empty dojo. The master had his legs crossed as he sat on a large pillow, two bulky bodyguards in heavy armor on each side of him, and his were eyes closed as if he were in the process of meditation. The master was dressed in a Judo uniform.

"It's been a while, Hope."

"Yeah," Hope deadpanned, "not that I'm here to catch up over hot chocolate, but I need your help. I need to know what to do in the face of a potential war."

"What makes you assume that I have the answers? I've never been in the place as headmaster of an establishment such as you." Dashes of jealousy seemed to sprinkle Xaldin's tone.

"I hope you aren't getting worked up over that."

"If only I were that trivial."

Hope went back into topic before this conversation could take a detour. "Don't play dumb, you have to know what I need to do in order to prevent it."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I've known you for a long time, Master Xaldin. You know the psychology of the common man's frame of mind, so don't even try it."

Master Xaldin took a deep breath. He opened his left eye. "It's not what it is in front of the eye patch, but what kind of wonders lie beneath the eye patch is where your answers truly resolve."

Translation: Don't take what you see for reality and never hand over your trust effortlessly. Get to know what's beyond your eyesight before taking something or someone into consideration.

Hope frowned. "That isn't very much help at all. I need to find out how to keep my land safe, so your absurd metaphors aren't very useful."

Xaldin chuckled deeply. "And that is why your heart was never strong enough to wield a Keyblade. No wonder your father was so disappointed in you."

With gritted teeth, Hope unleashed his sword, charging at the master with his grip in tow amid his anger. Hope pounced towards Xaldin ready to teach this man a lesson. With the snap of a finger, the two guards tackled Hope to the ground before he could reach him. In the matter of seconds, the king had been replenished of all strength he gained from his spontaneous frustration.

"Such anger… I thought I taught you better than that but I suppose every student can't be strung from pure gold."

"What is the meaning of this, Xaldin? Why are you acting like this?"

"Because he's with me, now," said another voice.

The guards brought Hope to his feet. The King witnessed a man in a black coat appear before his eyes. He pulled his hood back, revealing himself as Master Xehanort, a devilish smirk traced his lips.

"Who—who are you?" Hope asked.

"I'm not surprised that you don't recognize me. I guess it will all make sense soon enough."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hm, that's not important."

"Xaldin, you're siding with this creep?"

"Xaldin is a man of the darkness now," Xehanort answered on his behalf. "He ultimately realized what benefits can be made out of channeled shadows."

"Master Xaldin…" Hope said quietly. "Is—is that true?" Hope knew that Xaldin was a little rough around the edges, but he had never taken him for a bad guy.

Xaldin didn't retort. He only turned his head from his shameful ex-apprentice. "Light can take us only so far, but the warm security of darkness holds no blind alley. I see that now, now more than ever."

"Lock him up," Xehanort requested to the guards.

* * *

While on his knees defenseless with his wrists restricted tight in chained shackles harbored against the wall of this brooding secret dungeon, Sora felt an odd sensation stirring inside of him. He felt completely emotionless.

His hair slumped over his forehead, sweat slid down his hot, pale skin, and his stomach begged for nurture. The shackles had some kind of magic that didn't allow him to summon his Keyblade. Not that it would do him any good either way. It wasn't like he knew what he was doing with it.

He wasn't happy, sad, or angry. He simply felt defeated. It was as if life had decided to play some sick joke on him, but in the depth of his tarnished mind, he actually found this funny. Hilarious, even. Only way this would be better is if he found out that Xion ended up dying of hunger tomorrow.

He knew what he did was idiotic, but what's life without idiotic moments every now and then? If we weren't idiots every so often, we wouldn't be human. Still, the fact that he had been utterly foolish did not go unnoticed. On a bad day, Sora would be getting assaulted by his own conscience right about now. Instead, he could only be in content spirits.

If what Kairi said was true, she was going to have him killed. Honestly, that didn't sound like too bad of an idea right now. He'd no longer have any problems, the guilt that constantly beleaguered him would finally leave him alone, and he wouldn't have to parade himself underneath the princess's haughty breath.

There he went again, thinking too hard about this stuff. His thoughts seemed to betray him a lot lately. He rarely gained enlightenment from them like he used to. He couldn't die—no, not yet. He forgot about how Xion would feel if he were to die. She wouldn't be able to handle it. As much as death sounded like a good idea, he couldn't go through with it. He had to get out of here. He tugged on his arms to try and power his way out of the chains. The rattling of the jiggling links echoed throughout the hollow quarters.

He used every drop of strength his muscles had to offer, but efforts met a dead end. Sora was no idiot, and he was well aware his labors meant nothing. He impeded his useless struggle and sulked in his overwhelmed stature.

His face froze in astonishment once he heard the door from above begin to rattle until a wretched creak reached his audible range. He looked upon the stairs above where he saw light begin to leach in secrecy. The soles of female pumps that clamped down the stairs became apparent. Before long, Naminé came into Sora's sights. She had a lantern in her right hand and a key in the other.

"Naminé?" Sora asked through the restricted sight through his spiky locks. He whipped his hair back to get a good look at the blonde's determination. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing, genius? I'm here to bust you out."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's early in the morning, so what?"

"Aren't you worried you'll wake someone?"

"Yeah, sure, in a humongous castle like this with everybody else in their sleeping chamber, of course I'd be worried," she said with easily identifiable sarcasm.

"I guess you have a point."

"Now hush so that I can get these chains off of you," she said as she places the lantern down, using the key to work on his shackles. The keyhole was jammed, making Naminé have to put more effort than she originally intended.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Did you not have any faith that I would come? I'm hurt, Sora."

"I'm being serious."

She stopped working with the key for a second to give him a dull glance. "Maybe I just felt like it, ever thought about that?"

"No, because you seem to always have a motive. You're not the type of person to just help somebody out through the shear kindness of your heart. You're always looking for something that's of profit to you."

She grumbled something under her breath.

Sora smirked. "Or is it that you actually have feelings for me?"

Laughter belted from her gut and exploded without hesitation. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Sora. I'm just looking out for my colleague. I don't care what the princess says, but I can't have you locked up in here like this."

He lifted a brow. "So we're colleagues now?"

"Only until I get you out of here." He didn't follow. "You said you wanted to see your sister, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I'm letting you out of here to go see her. Heck, I might even come with you. I'm sick of being in this castle with a bunch of pathetic excuses for royalty."

"I didn't realize you cared so much."

"I don't."

Well, which is it woman?! Did you care about him or did you not? Make up your mind!

"For some reason, I feel obligated to help you."

"They don't call me the chosen one for nothing."

"Shut up."

Another clank was heard from the oval stairs. They sounded like high heels. Naminé quickly turn around to find Kairi Estheim with her fists on both sides of her hip. She was clad in one of her dresses for whatever reason. In her hand was some sort of bag.

Naminé switched personalities immediately as she placed the key behind her back, subtly placing the it in Sora's pocket. "O-Oh, Miss Estheim! I was just—"

"Leave. Now."

Didn't have to tell Naminé twice. She skedaddled up the stairs, her fingers latched onto the hem of her skirt, forgetting, or rather neglecting the lantern she originally brought down.

Kairi kept a fierce eye on Sora as she walked down further into the glum setting. Every step she took made Sora's heart beat faster. Each tread she took bounced against the walls. Its presence threatening, causing an earsplitting resonance.

She went into one of the darker corners of the dungeon, and soon she was completely engulfed in the shadows. She came back out with a stool. She blew on it to get some of the dust off. She set it down before Sora and sat herself.

The princess with fiery crimson hair dug a hand through her bag until she pulled out what seemed to be a bowl, and after that, a rice maker. She unhinged it by the locks on each side of it, and began filling the bowl with cooked rice.

Sora's words were locked in his head. All he knew was that she had some nerve to come down here just to eat in from of him like this. The worst part was that he was starving. How much of a bitch cunt can you be?

She closed the rice maker.

"Uh—" Sora attempted to sputter.

"Don't speak."

Kairi scooted herself closer to the brunet. She whipped out some chopsticks and tore them apart. He received a scowl.

"This will be the last time I'll ever do this, so you better not get used to it!"

What the hell was she talking about? She wasn't _doing _anything but confusing him. She dipped the chopsticks into the rice and pulled out a handsome wad of it. She shoved it towards Sora's mouth.

"Here," she simply demanded.

He couldn't believe it. Was she feeding him? Kairi, of all people on the world, was actually giving him something to eat? His alert eyes swooned over her. He was so hungry, yet something made him reluctant to take a bite. Kairi wanted him dead, did she not?

Sora took a bite. It was surprisingly delicious.

"How is it?" she asked quietly.

"It's really good!" he sputtered through muffed chews. "Did you make this?"

A slight tint of pink emerged on her cheeks. "U-Uh huh…"

She actually cooked for him? She could _really _cook if that were the case. What on earth was she doing allowing the servants to prepare meals for her when she was naturally talented in the art of culinary? What universe had he gotten sent to and why wasn't he here in the first place? In hindsight, she did use a rice maker, but the flavor concocted by proportionally placed seasonings and other guilty privileges had to be her doing.

"Well, you did a good job—thanks." He noticed the heavy bags underneath her eyes. "What's wrong with you anyway? You look like you didn't get a wink of sleep. Were you up all night thinking about me?"

"As if."

"Then explain why you look like shit."

"My father hasn't returned yet, and I was beginning to worry." Her scowl returned. "And if I requested that you stop using that foul language in front of me, would you heed me?"

She fed him some more rice. He gulped it down and beamed brightly.

"Nope."

She sighed. "Then I suppose it can't be helped."

"It's not like you to give up so easily. Isn't this the part of the script where you yell at me and call me a frog?"

"Frankly, I'm exhausted right now. Pardon my own language, but I don't really give a fuck if you curse in my presence right now."

He lifted a brow. "Okay, who are you? What have you done with the princess?"

"Oh, be quiet you," she said as she shoved more rice down his throat. There was the Kairi he knew and loathed. "This is so embarrassing…"

"You don't _have _to feed me, you know?"

"True, but perhaps if someone hadn't been a belligerent obstinate, you wouldn't be cuffed into this situation."

He rolled his eyes. "Is there any glint of light in the possibility that you'll unlock these things?"

"No."

Head drop.

"Not yet, anyway," she redeemed. She offered more rice. "Here…"

Sora took the bite. This felt bizarre for him to actually be fed by the princess he convinced himself was nothing more than a snob who only looked after herself. This was a nice change of a pace, but a rapidly uncomfortable one all at the same time.

"So, what's the deal anyway? Why the hell are you of all people giving me something to eat?"

"Are you complaining?"

"Not even. But think back to our recent history. Can you really blame me for being a little bewildered?"

Perhaps not, since she did admittedly spring this onto him without much context.

"Well, you're my bodyguard. It's my responsibility to keep you well fed—if nothing else."

"Am I supposed to believe that?"

Underestimating his intellect had became a habit. "To be honest, your words from last night had me thinking… and for the life of me, I still can't grasp what you're saying. I don't know why I'm doing this but I think deep down it's just an excuse to hear more of your insight on things. It fascinates me."

He chuckled. "Okay, that would actually mean more if I didn't have a death sentence waiting for me."

"Oh, that? I cancelled it."

A heap of relief flushed within the boy. The more he thought about death, the less detached he became of it. It was actually more of a liberation than he would have originally thought.

"You did? Why?"

An inevitable question yet she had hoped he didn't ask. "It would be irresponsible of me to allow my guardian to die so easily."

"Why do I get the feeling there's a bit more to it than that?"

"Believe what you wish."

"I guess we both were acting a little childish back there, huh?"

"I suppose…"

"Well, I'm sorry for dumping that bucket on you. It was immature of me."

He noticed the conflict battling her expression. She looked sad yet so confused, as if her situation was the most agonizing circumstance she had ever been involved in.

"Come on," Sora started, "you don't have to be afraid."

She raised a brow. "Afraid of what?"

"It's okay to open yourself sometimes."

"That's not the—"

"If you keep it bottled up inside like that, nothing good will come out of it."

"I-I—"

She had a loss for words. How could she respond? "Wait a second, who am I to be explaining myself to you?"

Sora shrugged as much as he could with his wrists fastened in restraints. "I never said that you have to, but I'm just saying it's not healthy."

She growled out of anger. "Quit it! I'm so sick of you pretending like you know everything!"

Sora's response was exhalation. She even rejected his attempts at trying to help her. What more could he do now? Sora decided to keep his mouth shut, his instigation at bay, and enjoy the rest of the meal the princess had so graciously been feeding him.

They stood there in silence. Without Sora pushing any conversations forward, there weren't too many words being traded. Kairi didn't know if this was preferable or all the more discomfited. Once the bowl was free from rice aside from the leftover strays, Kairi set it inside of her bag along with the rice maker.

"Well, uh—thanks again, I guess. I really do appreciate it."

She stopped packing her items, clutching the bag with a fierce grip. She turned back to Sora.

"I need to know—why?" She dropped her sack and turned her entire body towards him. "Why won't you listen to me? Was it something I did or said? It's like, no matter what I do, what I say, or how many times I threaten you… you just brush it off like its nothing. I don't understand you. You're putting your life at risk every time you disobey me, so why won't you simply do as I say?"

There were superiors, and inferiors. Inferiors were supposed to look up to the superiors and grant them happiness, no matter what the request. Superiors were to be treated with respect, not having to worry about an unfaithful subject. Loyalty could not be handed over, it had to be earned. And to earn that, one must stomach the policy.

How arcane that a teenager would be the one to look those rules in the face and spit on them. Who was he to do that? It was not his place to be so candid on how things have been for years. These customs had been locked rigid into the system for generations with no sign of breaking loose.

"Do I need to fucking spell it out for you?" Sora asked, a breath trailing on his speech. "I'm not about to be some puppet for anybody. If you want me to help protect you and this kingdom, fine. I can do that. But you're damn sure I'm gonna be treated like an actual human being with respect. I deserve it just as much as you do."

"If that were so, then why is it that I was born with the silver spoon, while you weren't even born with a dash of copper?"

"Wanna know what I think? I think it was to smack some sense into you."

"And what sense may that be?"

"That you shouldn't think too highly of yourself. Take who you are into consideration and build on that. Don't just assume that you're better than others by using your authority for guidance, it's—it's not cool."

What did he mean by that?! Gah, it was so confusing for the poor princess. She _was _better than others who weren't royalty, wasn't that how it always was? She figured that she was acting appropriately. She felt that she was making the right choices, but Sora certainly didn't seem to think so.

"I can't tell if I hate you, if I'm fascinated by you, or if you simply confuse me to no ends."

"Hey, I'm a complex guy," he said with a subtle smirk.

He most certainly was. He was constantly hitting her with these theories; such odd accusations that made no sense. What was this he spoke of? Equality? Kairi had been subconsciously taught that she was better than the ones who served her. It was their fault for being so susceptible in her presence. If somebody treated her the way Sora was treating now a long time ago, then maybe she wouldn't have ended up this way.

She was being deflated emotionally by his rebellious attitude. Her world had undergone an intergalactic implosion only to never find the answer to his defiance. Her efforts went to squander, leaving her with no other option but to simply ask upfront. Even when doing so, she still had no idea why he acted this way. Where was his thought process, his logic, and his comprehension? He seemed like a nut job that was too stubborn to follow a preset path. The funny thing was that in the midst of this never ending confusion for the outlaw gifted with a knack for bending the rules—

She found a spangle of respect for him.

The fact that nobody, for hundreds, perhaps _thousands _of years had the balls of a specific quality of steel to defy the royalty was an annoyingly admirable trait that he was blessed with. How could something so commendable make her want to rip her hair out at the same time?

"I guess what I'm trying to say is," said Sora, bringing her out of her thoughts, "is that you need to get a taste of reality. Stop living in the clouds so much—it's annoying. Get out of that fantasy world that you live in and wake up. Because the reality is that if you weren't a princess, nobody would give a fuck about you."

That awkward moment when you can't tell if the words said to you are supposed to be harsh or helpful. Kairi couldn't tell. But the more she thought about it—he was right. If she were in his shoes, the name Kairi Estheim would not have a meaning. It wouldn't be worth anything.

Before she could respond, the pair heard a loud bump from upstairs. They stiffened.

"What the hell was that?" Sora asked rhetorically.

Boisterous crashes became perceptible. There were no screams, no pleas for help; it sounded more like a free for all. Kairi pointed at him.

"Stay put," she demanded. She sprinted up the stairs before he can reply.

"It's not like I have much of a choice," he said, implying his increasingly bothersome shackles.

Kairi entered the main lobby. Her mother battled against a collective of heartless alongside Merlin. The wizard cast thrilling hexes to fend off the oncoming creatures. Claire only had a sword to protect herself, and it wasn't doing her much good. If she weren't so agile, the heartless would have had her head by now.

Merlin shielded them with his own personal force field, a spell he dubbed reflectaga. Claire turned to Kairi.

"Kairi, get out of here!"

"I can't keep this force field up forever," Merlin grunted, "where on earth is Sora?"

The Keyblade was the only weapon in the castle that had the ability to truly sweep these heartless away, and only one person in the castle had access to such a privilege. Kairi scurried back downstairs. Sora lifted his head.

"So, what's going on up there?" he asked.

She ignored his question as she rummaged through her bag for the key that could unlock the shackles chained to his wrists. She fumbled through the sack endlessly until she realized that it was not there.

"It's gone!" she cried.

"Wha—what are you talking about?"

"The key to your shackles, they've vanished!"

Sora recalled Naminé with the keys earlier. She must have stolen them. Damn it, Naminé was going to be the death of him.

But wait a minute; didn't she slip them into his pocket earlier?

Kairi gasped as the sound communal footsteps came from the stairs. "Oh no, the heartless are coming!"

"Heartless?!"

"Did I stutter?!"

"Quick, go into my pocket!"

Flinching from the potential suggestiveness of that demand, Kairi did as told and dug into Sora's pouch until her fingers dangle a jingling key. She pulled it out, giving Sora a stern look.

"And why is this in there?"

"I'll explain later, just hurry up!"

Kairi began working with the keyhole, trying to get it in the right position to unlock it. From above, Sora noticed the silhouette of one of the Shadow heartless. It's antenna squirmed all over.

Kairi eventually got the first shackle to disengage. "Got it!"

She hastily worked on the second one. The temperature of Sora's anxiousness rose. It wasn't long before the second manacle had been unlocked, releasing Sora's wrist. Just in the nick of time, as the heartless crept closer to the bottom.

"Kairi, hide!"

The princess concealed herself into a dark corner that would leave her numb from any of those creatures' sights. The heartless came running down the stairs looking for any indication of the auburn-haired princess that had scampered into this area. No sign of her, but what they did see aroused their interest. It was a boy without a trace of fear on his visage.

The heartless sprawled to him, ready to appease their needs. Sora summoned his Kingdom Key Keyblade and got into his stance.

"Dark creatures around me… my brain going in a rollercoaster of angst… and I'm officially replacing the 'L' in my luck with an 'F'. But if you guys are tryin' to come at me and get all crazy on me then it is on like a fat ass Donkey Kong! You wanna get nuts, come on! LET'S GET NUTS!"

Kairi rolled her eyes.

Sora swatted the heartless crudely, awkwardly striking at them. His lack of solid balance caused him to nearly trip over himself. Eventually, Sora was able to clear the room of any more creatures.

Or so he thought. One of them had tracked Kairi by listening to her heavy breathing, and it skulked up to her silently. She noticed at the last second as the heartless lifted its claw. She screamed. She protected her head by covering it with her arms, but then hears a slashing sound. She looked up to see Sora fighting the heartless off. Sora brought his Keyblade vertically as his hands grasped the handle, subduing the creature into nothing. He examined the area and concluded that it was heartless free.

He paced towards Kairi and outstretched his hand. "You okay?"

She took his hand as he lifted her to her feet. "Of course I am."

Thunderous rumbles came piercing from above. The two share a quick glance before simultaneously scurrying up the stairs to find the source of the ruckus.

As they entered the main entrance, they come across an impressive herd of Shadows, practically painting the floor black. Claire and Merlin did their best at defending themselves, but the Shadows were far too relentless. Riku and Serah were back to back from above on the second floor, the heartless marching up to them on both sets of stairs. They were tossing down buckets on the threatening fleets in hope that it would slow them down, but it only did mild damage.

Sora rushed into the scene dodge rolling through the overcrowded masses of darkness, working his way closer towards the queen and her grandfather. He made it center stage with his Keyblade ready in hand.

"I-I-I fear that the heartless are growing stronger!" Merlin said as he casted a fire spell at one of the enemies. "Fighting will prove useless, we may have to depart."

"No way!" Claire rejected.

Sora desperately searched his brain for some kind of answer. He needed to come up with something fast. None of them were capable of taking these heartless out. Claire didn't have a suitable weapon, Merlin's magic was running on empty, Riku, Serah, and Kairi were… useless, and he himself pretty much sucked at using the Keyblade.

In situations like these, it was better to use brains rather than brawn. Only one other person in this castle could help him out in that regard.

Sora sprinted away, causing a good portion of the heartless to chase after him.

"Where are you going?" Claire yelled.

Sora didn't hear her. He proceeded to the place where he knew his blond colleague should have been. He found the window in the middle of the hallway he was looking for and opened it, jumping out right before the heartless could reach him. The creatures were about to follow the suit, but Flame ended up making it to the window before they could, getting into a defensive stance. She roared at them impatiently.

Sora landed in the backyard garden, but lost his balance and ended up rolling on the ground until he caught his stability. His sight fell on Naminé sprawled on the soil, the Shadows ready for the kill. Sora made it just in time as he unleashed some basic combos the impending adversaries.

He helped Naminé to her feet.

"Ugh, I guess this is why you're the chosen one…"

"Naminé, we gotta put a stop to this. Let's put our heads together."

She crossed her arms triumphantly. "So you come crawling to me for answers, huh? Why am I not surprised?" He decided to let that go as she pondered. "My first instinct is to give you to them as a sacrifice—"

"That's a horrible idea!" he cut off.

"Relax. If Plan A doesn't work, there's still twenty five more letters in the alphabet."

"Naminé!"

"Okay, okay. They're creatures that are born out of darkness, right?" Naminé inquired. Sora nodded. "All we have to do is find something that can counteract that darkness. But what could possibly accomplish something like that?"

Sora's eyes widened. "That's it! A counteract to the darkness! The opposite of darkness is…" he trailed, expecting her to finish his sentence.

"…Light?"

"Exactly! We hose some light on them, and we're set! The heartless should lessen immediately!"

"I'd say that was a genius plan if it weren't five thirty in the morning with the sun not even rising yet." She presented the dim sky to him.

"We don't need sunlight when we've got a chandelier! Come on!"

"Wait, Sora—" she put her hand out, but he already ran back inside. She groaned and followed behind.

The heartless had spread throughout the castle. Sora had to take them down as quickly as he could as he and Naminé ducked and dove their way back into the main foyer. At their arrival, they noticed it didn't look much better.

Riku and Serah were completely surrounded. Then came the hysterical commands blurting from Merlin. He had done whatever he could to keep them surviving. The smell of anguish crammed the air. Sora eyed the chandelier. Without the sun seeping through the windows, it didn't have much brightness to offer.

"Great plan, Sora—how the hell are we supposed to use the chandelier when we don't even have something that can cast light on it?"

His eyes fell onto his Keyblade, the sight of its modesty almost breathtaking. Sora only took it for a weapon before, but now, it was as if the blade was speaking to him personally.

"Maybe we do."

Sora grasped the Keyblade's handle with both hands, directing it towards the chandelier. He focused on his heart, the willpower to succeed, and his determination to keep this castle safe.

A stream of light peeked out of the tip of the Keyblade, until it burst out into a full string. The light entered the chandelier, causing the glow to bounce against the glass. The shards illuminated the room brilliantly.

Kairi ceased running. She noticed the heartless had grown slower, weaker, and quite a few had even begun deteriorating. They were all completely useless now that the room was cast in pure light. Claire wasted no time in taking advantage of the vulnerable foes as she used her sword, thrusting it into their bodies, killing them instantly.

Merlin cast a magnetic spell. The remaining heartless were attached to a magnificent orb. The wizard darted his wand towards the grouped heartless and blasted them with an electric discharge. Sora allowed his Keyblade to hang loose, looking quite proud at the empty foyer.

The other five regrouped with Merlin and Claire down in the center.

"Good job, Sora," Claire encouraged, "that was some nice quick thinking there."

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, you know…"

"What now?" Serah asked, the question on everyone's mind.

"Hope still hasn't returned," Claire answered. "He left for the Sabre Mountains to seek the advice of an old master of his. He should have been back by now, though. He's been gone for hours."

"Father hasn't returned?"

"Don't worry, Kairi. I don't have much of a choice, but I'm going after him."

"Why?" Kairi pointed at Sora. "Why not just send him? It's not like _he's _worth anything!"

"Hey!" And alas, Kairi had returned to her old ways. Seriously, did his lectures mean nothing to her? Or was she just keeping up with appearances? After all, they were around a lot more people now and she most likely did not want to give them the wrong impression.

Claire looked at him intently. "Actually, Sora—would you mind accompanying me?"

"Me? Not Merlin?"

"You're the Keyblade wielder, aren't you? I need grandfather to stay behind and keep an alert eye for the castle. Besides, with your clever mind, I'm sure we'll pull through."

That still didn't take away the fact that Merlin was clearly more skilled than he was, but if that was what she wished…

"I'll hold down the fort until your return," Merlin said.

"I'm flattered that you guys think I'm up for the task, but I don't really think I'm ready."

"Think of this as an excuse to get you some more practice in. I'll call in a carriage for us. We have some work to do." She walked. "I'll be right back."

Riku slapped Sora on the back. "Way to go, dude!"

Sora really didn't see what the big deal was. He figured that what he accomplished should have been inevitable common sense. Serah gave Sora a big hug.

"Oh, darling! You were so brave out there!"

"Uh, yeah…"

Sora caught a glimpse of Kairi gaze attached to him and Serah. She noticed his curious eyes and quickly dashed her head away in disapproval. What was that all about?

Serah released Sora.

"You seem to be doing rather well with that Keyblade, Sora," Merlin complimented.

"I am?" He figured he still pretty much sucked. He had no grace to his fighting style and he was still ignorant to its possibilities.

"I mean, of course, it's still a little rough around the edges, but for someone who's self-taught, not bad. Not many self-taught Keyblade wielders could do half of what you just did."

"That's great, I guess."

"But what you really need is some proper training. Tell me, lad, would you like to know how to channel magic?"

Excitement hit Sora in the face. "Would I?"

* * *

Claire made her way into the basement. She removed her glove and pressed her hand against one of the bricks. It lit up to her touch. The wall revealed a secret door. Claire strode inside, reintroducing herself to the familiar room. It was empty aside from one important detail. There was a capsule lying horizontally. Within it was something she promised herself that she wouldn't use until the time called for it. This was one of those times.

In that capsule, rested her Keyblade.

"It's been a long time."

* * *

**I spent hours trying to perfect this chapter. **

**Some advice for any of you writers out there, just know that revising and editing really is the most crucial part of your story. It's actually where most of the writing takes place as far as sentence structure, word choice, and grammar goes. When I first started writing on this site on my other pen name dontjudgeabookbyitscover15, I was so focused on getting reviews, favs, and follows that I would rush all of my projects and then become disappointed when I wouldn't get too much of a reaction (as in, no reviews or little additional support), but I learned to focus more on the quality of what I'm putting out, which is more important than the statistics. **

**It's an amateur mistake I think a lot of us make when we first start out. We become obsessed with reviews and follows, and that's okay, as long as we don't get too obsessed and end up forgetting to make our project an actually compelling story. I really hope that this story is compelling since I've been handling it with such delicate care and it's been getting such a large portion of my attention recently. But when you write, do it for the love! Not for the statistics! **

**I really like how this chap came out for the most part. It progresses Sora and Kairi's relationship a little bit and it sets up the next chapter. The only thing I'd change would be the constant running Sora does in the ending action scene. Maybe I should have placed Namine already in the main entrance instead of having him sprint all over the place, but I think it's okay. I hope this turned out okay for you all.**

**Be sure to leave me a review guys! It really is a big motivator to keep writing and get things out faster!**

**Op, almost forgot! I said I'd do a shoutout if I got to thirty in any category. I currently have 28 favs and 34 followers with only eight chapters in! That's really awesome you guys, seriously! Wish me luck, for I'm trying to make it into the three digit spot in those categories! A feat I've yet to accomplish! **

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**I do this shoutout thingy only because I feel like it's the very least I can do for people who so graciously take time out of their day to read my thoughts and ideas. I know it isn't much, but it's something, right? Maybe? **

**That about does it for me. Should I cut short on these AN's? I don't plan to make them this long originally but I end up rambling my ass off, lol. **

**Take care and much love to you all! **


	9. Strained Rescuing

The alleviating air massaged any of the leftover tension that rested on Sora's body. He breathed the generous donation the atmosphere fed his stress.

He lay solemnly on the floor of a wooden stagecoach, his leg kicked out as his fingers laced together behind his head. His eyes seared as the sun snuck peaks at him through one of the cracks in the wagon's ceiling. The dated wood's scent permeated his nostrils. Claire sat herself on a nearby bench connected to the wall, gaping at her beautiful Keyblade. She hadn't used it in years. After she had been declared the queen of Radiant Garden, she put her Keyblade in storage so that it wouldn't give her those harsh memories, prompting her into becoming the bitter woman she grew to be.

But now with her eyes attached, with its shine smiling at her, she almost felt guilty for neglecting it. She had hailed her Keyblade, True Light's Flight.

Sora noticed her ogling at her Keyblade as if she had a crush on it, and decided to pierce into her thoughts. "You seem awfully in love with your Keyblade."

She looked up from it. "Can you blame me? I haven't laid my eyes on it in ages. It's like a child that I've mistreated for so long has finally returned to my arms, but it doesn't hold any grudge. It's the same way it was when I left it."

"Why'd you storage it down there anyway?"

"Long story short, I thought it would bring back unwanted memories from my past. I thought it might—I thought it might turn me back into someone I'm not. Looks like all it's given me is hope."

Sora's face remained blank until he chortled obnoxiously. "Oh, I get it! It gives you hope, and we're on our way to find your husband, whose name is Hope!"

He looked up and noticed her half lidded eyes.

"Sorry, bad timing…"

Claire sighed as she placed her Keyblade to the side. "Well, what about you? Have you been getting used to the castle lately?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's been great," he lied. There was nothing great about being locked up against your will in the castle for not doing anything morally wrong, but he kept that to himself. So he drenched the princess a little, big deal.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well, the people in your castle aren't so bad. Your husband's a great guy, Merlin, the servants… Serah's a little iffy but she's okay, I guess."

Claire chuckled. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

A gulp of air escaped him. "And Kairi…" Her mere name brought fatigue to him.

"How are things between you two?"

His eyes wouldn't leave the ceiling, the small cracks that dissected the ceiling became unintentionally interesting and he lost himself in his puzzling judgment. That was a better question than she may have realized, and it was one he had been running away from. His terminology grew anesthetized whenever the topic of him and Kairi's status struck the air—if you could even attach a label to their status in the first place.

The contemplation that he may still hate her felt embellished. Hate was such a strong, powerful word. Maybe hate wasn't exactly accurate. More like he had a sturdy distaste for the princess. Getting some time away from her was a breath of fresh air. He was glad to have been able to come along with Claire to go rescue Hope just to be able to not have her act as his shadow.

But hate? Was that appropriate? He wasn't sure.

"I don't know…" he finally answered.

His answer was no surprise. "I know my daughter can be very—rough, sometimes. But you must understand she wasn't always like that. I know somewhere deep inside she's still the girl I remember her to be."

Sora sat up and turned to her. "What was Kairi like when she was a kid?"

"The sweetest thing you could ever imagine!" She went uncharacteristically bubbly. "She was so well-mannered, polite, and there wasn't an angry bone in her body."

She sounded like she was a complete inverse of of everything she was today. She ought to be ashamed for being such a horrible contrary of her past, promising self. "Do you know how she ended up like that? You know—the way she is now."

Claire dimmed. "I'm not sure. I think it may have been the fact that everyone had treated her with such respect at such a young age. I always guessed she grew accustom to it, making her believe that she was entitled to the worship of others."

That wasn't a good excuse. King Hope grew up swimming in diamonds and he turned out fine. "I get that, but is there any specific moment in time when you truly realized that your daughter had changed?"

"I'm not sure. It's rare that anyone can change completely over night." Claire skimmed into her memory archive to see if she could pinpoint anything that could help them discover what could have turned the princess into such a cold young woman, hollow of compassion. "Wait a minute, I remember. It was when Kairi was fourteen years old. We had brought in a suitor for Kairi to marry."

"An arranged marriage?" Did that have something to do with her attitude?

"Yes. Hope and I were set to travel the world in search of a gateway to the door to light. There were rumors left and right about it, and it intrigued us mutually. We figured an arranged marriage with a trustworthy prince would guarantee her safety as we set forth on our journey." She chuckled. "I still remember his name, Roxas Hikari. He was a prince, son to Squall Leonhart and his wife, Rinoa. Oh boy, Kairi sure was in love with that boy. You could see it in her eyes."

Kairi—in love? The concept made Sora nearly burst out in hilarity. He couldn't even imagine such a stone-faced princess to be in love with someone.

"He was a nice boy, too. Strong, responsible, handsome… he was the perfect man to take care of our daughter. Kairi just wouldn't stop talking about him. Roxas this, Roxas that. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a tad annoying. But still, seeing my daughter so happy was a sight to see, and it made it all worth it. It was the last time I saw her smile. You know—a real smile. She wears it radiantly. You won't see her smiling like that anymore."

Really? He hadn't noticed.

"It was about a week before the day of the wedding—and Roxas, he just—disappeared."

Sora raised a brow. "What do you mean, disappeared?"

"He left us a note saying that he could not go through with the wedding because he did not want to marry someone he didn't love, and it would have been wrong for him to lead our daughter on like that, regardless of what his parents said. Kairi was devastated. She cried for hours and wouldn't leave her room for days, and even the days when she did come out—she wouldn't be out for long and it wasn't like she was pleasurable company."

This was starting to sound like a bad soap opera.

"It took me a while to power through the brick of denial but I realized my daughter had changed. She was kind to no one, always complaining, whining about everything. Her self-absorbed nature had been fully exhibited. She and Naminé didn't even spend time together like they used to. It was terrible. I like to believe that along the road, she's gotten over her troubles with Roxas. I think the personality that boy gave her with his betrayal is what stuck with her, and not the thought Roxas himself. Now she probably doesn't even remember who she is, or even wants to."

Sora felt guilty for not being sympathetic. He blamed the princess for not giving him a proper reason to be. On a different side of the same coin, he wanted to know more about this Roxas. The prince leaving randomly aroused his curiosity. Roxas didn't return Kairi's feelings—Sora got that—but he had the feeling it dug a little deeper than that… a piece of the puzzle felt missing.

"Sora, try not to be so hard on Kairi. Once you get to know her, she isn't so bad."

Of course she wasn't that bad. She would never deliberately lock him inside a dungeon for hours.

"With this in mind now, what would you say your relationship with my daughter is?"

Was that weak sob story supposed to make him push his empathy towards her direction? Maybe if he heard all of the juicy details that seemed to be swept under rug but he still felt like he was left in the dark about some things.

"There isn't much of a relationship to tell you about. Sorry."

She smirked. "I doubt that."

Before he could protest, the two felt the carriage came to a stop. The servant that had been riding the horses, leading them to their destination walked inside the wagon through the light pink translucent curtains. "Your Majesty, we have arrived."

Sora and Claire exited the carriage to have their eyes greeted by a field of grass. The horizon showcased a huge group of mountains that all clashed together like one big family. In the far distance, there was a small house.

"Is that where the King is?" Sora asked.

"That's the place."

"I would have expected more of an evil fortress rather than an innocent household."

"Throw up words too soon and you'll end up eating them later."

"Gross."

She laughed as her servant tapped her on the shoulder. "Miss Estheim, should I escort you and the chosen one across the mountains?" he offered.

"Thank you for your suggestion, but it will not be needed. I think Sora and I will be able to handle ourselves just fine."

The servant bowed to her as he hopped back onto the driver's platform. Claire turned to Sora. "You ready?" He nods. "Let's do this."

Claire sprinted towards the mountains. Sora was caught by surprise at her velocity, but he shook it off as he did his best to keep up. They entered the fray of mountains. The scenery shifted drastically. They no longer had a clear view of the sun, surrounded by heavy oxygen, sand, with the pine trees doing a good job at keeping them shaded. A relaxed breeze brushed through the atmosphere, carrying the musky smell of dirt and sand. It made Sora wrinkle his nose more than once.

Claire's running form began to get a little hazy from Sora's point of view. Her feet were pecking at the ground so hastily that he could hardly see them hit the ground. Sora liked to think of himself as a pretty fast sprinter, but racing against the queen would be a definite no-no.

They continued running for as long as they could until Claire deemed it appropriate to stop. Without the sun to guide them, they'd certainly get lost if they continued dashing aimlessly.

"I didn't know you had such quick feet," Sora said breathlessly, hunched over on his knees.

"Mm, you had to be fast when you were a warrior like I used to be."

Sora stood up straight. "You were a warrior?"

Claire led the way deeper inside. "It was a long time ago. Let's not fancy me over something as small as that, though."

He almost looked offended. "Wasn't gonna. Don't confuse me with your ass kissing servants."

She scoffed in good humor. "Believe me, kid, I'd never mistake you for them."

The pair stopped once they came across a man ensnared under a pile of rubble. "Help! Help me!" his frail voice called out.

"He's trapped!" Just as Sora was about to run to go save him, Claire snatched his arm before he could leave her range.

"We can't trust anyone outside of Radiant Garden. We came for Xaldin only. Getting sidetracked is just a waste of time."

"So we're supposed to walk past and act like he's invisible when he could die?"

"Sora, it's not like that—I'm telling you, we can't just lend our trust to anybody and—"

Sora pointed at the victim. "Look at him! Does he look like he's in any position to betray anyone?"

Claire noticed that the person stuck was an old man. Looks could be deceiving, but she knew someone as young as Sora wouldn't understand that. She let his arm go. "Very well."

Sora wasted no further time in sprinting off to go save the elderly man. The closer he got, the more he was able to get a better idea of the aged man's appearance. His head was shaved. His skin was worn out and furrowed. He was trapped in an entrance to a mine with the top utility off its hinges, threatening to plop on the old man completely and crush his arthritis induced bones.

"Please… help…" the old man said with a limited breath.

"Don't worry." Sora laced his fingers on the metal bar and attempted to haul it up, but he only got it up about two inches. The bar refused to cooperate, and Sora almost dropped it right back on the sufferer with his moist palms. He turned to Claire. "You know, a little help might be appreciated!"

Claire blew her bangs out of her eye, sighing. "What a weakling." She walked up next to him and placed her hands under it as she lifted as well, contributing with Sora to a common strength. "You just have to put your back into it."

The two successfully lifted it to the point where the old man could crawl out. They dropped it immediately. Claire began dusting her hands.

"Boy, who knew that my daughter's protector could be such a little pipsqueak." Her smirk never left her face. She noticed Sora giving her a dull gaze.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No Sora, I'm clearly congratulating you on your impressive bout as a muscle bound, independent, Keyblade Master."

Sora waited to find a response. "I think you're making fun of me."

Claire groaned. How could someone so smart be so dense? The two noticed the old man straining to his feet, his back almost giving in. Sora helped him ease a bit better by aiding him.

"Whoa, take it easy," he said.

"Th-Thank you, young man. You're a fine lad, indeed."

Sora chuckled nervously. That was such a typical "old man" thing to say. It wasn't like his expectations were lingering on the top of any mount for such a frail—and uncomfortably—half naked body. This man's body was clad in nothing but a white cloth to cover his flabby manhood. Wearing pants should have been a part of the world's constitution.

Sora rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "No prob. No need to thank me, just thank the heavens that I ended up coming here or else," he pointed to Claire, "snooty McDoo Doo Panties would have passed you by without any second thoughts."

Claire put him into a choke hold. "What'd you call me?!"

The old man laughed. "Such gusto of the young people! Oh, I miss those days, yes I do. If only I could relive those solemn times, just one time." His eyes hit Claire suggestively. "Maybe I would have been able to sweep you off your feet, pretty lady."

Claire had just been hit on by an old man.

Allow her to repeat that.

Claire had just been hit on by an old, wrinkly ass man, whose gums were black, had teeth that had probably deteriorated into nothing but yellow rot, and probably crapped himself on the daily basis. Disgusting. She puffed disapprovingly while she crossed her arms.

"Anyway," Sora said, trying to relieve the awkward ambiance, "how'd you get trapped under that pile? And what's this mine doing here?"

"Ah, a very good question. I've been stuck under that rubble since last night after a storm hit. It was so sudden, but I remember getting caught under that sleet. It's pretty old, so I guess it gave out. I am a worker of the Sabre Confidents. At least, I was—a really long time ago."

"How long are we talking? Like six hundred years?" Claire insulted.

"Feisty! Meow!"

She felt like throwing up.

"More like forty years. The Sabre Confidents were a group of workers who kept the mountains safe and secure. It was a relatively healthy environment. We would clean up any problems, fight off invading forces, and do whatever it took to survive. We also provided the needs for our ruler, Dilan Lancer. Unfortunately, he died many years ago in a battle effort. His son, Xaldin, now takes his place. Xaldin seemed like a promising leader when he first received the position, but after the years went by, he changed. It was so bad, that all of the other Confidents either died or left this place to find anew. I'm the very last of them, trying my best to keep the mountains in balance."

"Okay…" Sora said, "but that still doesn't explain the mine."

"This mine is actually a secret entryway to the dojo where Xaldin is located. My guess is that you two are here to visit him, am I correct? How about I show you the way?"

"You'd do that? Thanks!"

"Sora!" Claire said, yanking him to the side. "We helped him. He's not going to get his bones crushed, but we still can't trust him. After all, he works for the man that's probably done something to my Hope."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Get a grip, Claire." She wasn't sure if she appreciated him addressing her by her first name. "Has he really given us a reason not to trust him?"

"I suppose not."

"I mean, look at him—he's harmless."

The two peeked a look at the old man digging in his nose shamelessly, getting his finger tucked deep in his nostrils. He pulled his finger out with a big green glob located on the tip. He tasted it with his tongue.

Claire covered her pink lips to halt the vomit. Sora winced. "He's pretty gross too," he admitted, "but he's our best chance at getting to Hope faster."

She sighed. "I guess so."

Sora made his way up to the old man. "Lead the way."

"Splendid!" He put his hand out. Yeah, that hand. "My name is Kuame Hayase."

Sora looked at the hand with disgust and simply patted Kuame on the back. "Nice to meet you, Kunasse."

"I said Kuame."

"Sure thing, Kosago."

* * *

Carving on tree bark had some sort of slackening effect on Kairi's mental gauntlet.

She sat out on the balcony before the backyard garden while carving her tree bark into a star, giving it a vacant stare. To say that she was bored was quite the understatement. Going out on a mission with Sora and her mother to go find her father didn't sound like too bad of an idea right about now. She wanted to go, but she knew mother would reject that offer either way.

She sighed as she continued sculpting with her switchblade. Kairi always had a fascination with stars, finding them to be quite beautiful back when she was a little girl. Her love for the shape of stars had even transcended into her cold personality. Yet, this was tiresome. She lay back on the rail, her eyes fastened to the sky. She placed her carved star in front of her viewpoint of the sun to shade herself.

"What are you up to?"

The sudden voice nearly made Kairi tumble off of the rail and fall straight back onto the garden, if it weren't for a pair of strong hands to wrap around her back in the nick of time. When did Sora get here?

Wait a minute. This was not Sora. She looked up to find Riku gazing into her azure eyes, his face wearing a worried mask. His silver hair sparkled in the sunlight.

"Whoa there, can't have you dying, can we?"

A tinge of pink faded in on Kairi's cheeks. She never took the time to notice Riku, but he actually cleaned himself nicely. She shook out of her trance and gave him narrowed brows.

"You can let go now."

Now it was Riku's turn to blush as he helped her up to her feet off the rail, planting her firmly on the ground.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "So, why are you here all by yourself?"

She was tempted to request that he ask for permission to speak to someone of her authority, but she decided to let it go just this once. She felt like that would be what Sora would want her to do, and it was the least she could do for him since he was out looking for her father right now.

"I was only daydreaming, waiting for my father's return."

"I'm impressed that you're not bouncing off the walls like any other teenage girl would. It's nice to see that you're not overly dramatic."

She shrugged as she leaned on the rail. "What's the point? That peasant is the chosen one, right? He'll find a way."

"I hope you're right."

It felt surreal to be having a normal conversation with such a lowly peasant, a prisoner to be more specific. She didn't know whether she liked it or hated it, but she did know was that it was extremely uncomfortable. Sora's influence seemed to be creeping on her too fast for comfort.

"Why are you here, anyway?"

"Is it a crime if I just so happen to be passing by and think I might as well be friendly?"

"It may as well be for someone of my excellence. Go frolicking around with my aunt, why don't you?"

"Meanie…"

Kairi turned to look at him, leaning her back against the rail. "Seriously, I don't even know why you're in this castle still. No offense, but you're not exactly relevant around here."

He frowned. "Just because you say 'no offense' doesn't mean no offense will be taken."

"But you see my point, do you not? What role do you play for us? You are just a nuisance. So what other purpose do you serve here?"

As much as the words hurt, Riku had been contemplating the same thing. He really had no reason to be here. The most he had done since he came here with Sora was screw around Serah—and that was getting stale enough on its own. He was lucky to have had Sora as a cellmate that day, or else he wouldn't be here at all.

"I-I guess you do have a point… but… you know, I kinda wanted to get to know you better."

Kairi's expression awakened. "Me?"

He stood next to her, leaning against the rail as well. "I feel like I haven't really gotten to know you at all this past week and a half. You really pique my curiosity, princess."

This was news to her. Nobody had ever shown her any interest. "You mean that? You're not just kissing my butt?" She would have said 'ass' but she was more comfortable cursing in front of Sora rather than Riku.

"No, I mean, you seem really—mysterious. Like there's something about you. And you're beautiful, so that plays a factor too."

"Okay, you lost me at the end there." She didn't appreciate being lusted after. He waved his hands defensively.

"No—no! It's not like that! I really want to get to know you—for you. Trust me, I'm not just some sleaze bag."

"You're not making a very good first impression."

He sighed, knowing that he was making himself look like a total loser. He took a deep breath and looked at the stubborn princess with his confidence beginning to return. "The bottom line is that I want to form some kind of relationship with you, Miss Estheim. Your father allowed me to stay because I was an associate of Sora's, but it doesn't seem right to be lingering around while not being very important. Maybe I can by getting to know you a little better."

"That's a weird way to put it, don't you think?"

"I guess, but maybe I'm being selfish. Befriending you is about the last thing I have that can make me feel significant again."

"What about Serah?"

"She's not really talking to me right now. No idea why, but I have a feeling it has to do with Sora. He's all she can talk about lately."

She rubbed her chin, a vortex of thoughts floating in her mind. "Speaking of which, you seem to know Sora quite well. What can you tell me about him?"

Riku laughed. "It looks like we've known each other for a while? To be honest with you, I just met him the day after we were sent here."

"Really?" She had mistaken them for childhood best friends.

"Yeah. But I do know a little bit about him. He's pretty smart, if you couldn't already tell, but he's also very sensitive about his sister. He's always wondering if he'll ever see her again."

She didn't say anything. He noticed her blank expression.

"He would really appreciate it if you let him see her, you know. He feels guilty because he feels like he left her without giving her a proper explanation."

Riku became a little alarmed once he saw her face shift through a few different emotions, from turmoil, to paranoia, to uncertainty. It was quite a disturbing sight. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she immediately shivered from his gentle touch, but calmed down once she only saw his familiarity.

"Are you okay?"

Kairi fixed her hair and regained her composure. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. You'll have to excuse me."

Kairi picked up her carved star and dragged herself back to her residence, but a hand grasped her by the wrist.

"Hold on," Riku said, "you don't look so good. Maybe we should go and cheer you up."

She snatched her arm away from him, giving a scowl. "Maybe you should mind your own business!" Kairi ran away before he could have the chance to talk some sense into her.

Riku decided to leave it at that. All he wanted to know was what was it that he said that could have disturbed her so much. He must have tapped into box full of repressed memories to which she clearly did not have a fun time reminiscing.

Still, he found this urge to help her.

* * *

Aside from the usual tunnel one would expect from a mine, the area was glittered with light blue and green crystals against the walls, mainly located on the ceiling. The crystals themselves lit up the environment into cobalt flush. They were easy to get lost in, Sora and Claire's eyes were attracted to their striking luminosity. Kuame walked a few steps ahead of the two visitors, using his crooked walking stick as a guide.

"This is beautiful," Claire remarked, basking in the mood.

Sora jogged up next to the old man so that he could walk with him side by side. "So, why are these crystals in here anyway?"

"They're the last bit of light left in these mountains. When Xaldin brought darkness upon this area, the last gleams of remaining radiance came sprawling into little chunks of crystals—the ones you are observing now."

"That doesn't make any sense," Sora deadpanned.

"Jeez kid, use some imagination."

Sora rolled his eyes.

"Sora! Behind you!" he heard Claire call out.

Sora's eyes grew excited as his reflexes saved him from being stung by a flying heartless with a sharp stinger. A frenzy of heartless, appropriately called the Rapid Thrusters appeared before Sora and Claire.

"Kunucho, get to safety!" Sora requested as he summoned his Keyblade. Kuame hid behind one of the nearby rocks.

Claire sprung into action, whirling into the air while unleashing her sword—which encircled around her body.

As she tumbled down, she used both of her feet to kick some of the Thrusters out of her way. Once landed, she swiped her sword at the heartless without any sign of fear, killing creatures with few slices.

Sora wasn't doing so hot, mainly using the Keyblade to guard himself from the oncoming speed burst attacks the Thrusters would send his way. He got stung multiple times.

Claire zipped to Sora's side and stretched her arms to protect him. "Stay away!"

She darted her sword towards the creatures to fend them off, but her efforts went to naught. She forcefully grabbed Sora's hand and sprinted off.

"We can't stay here, there's way too many," Claire yelled.

Sora retrieved his hand and turned around. He cupped his hands around his mouth as if to create an improvised megaphone. "Old man! Kosago, where are you?"

They noticed the old man being carried away by a fleet of heartless that had found him, picking him up in a combined effort. Sora turned to the queen.

"Claire, you have to use your Keyblade!"

Her face looked appalled to that suggestion. "N-No way!"

"He's in danger!"

Claire remained unsure. Her biggest fear was turning back into the person she had been so afraid of, but for the sake of saving a life, would it be worth it? Sora rolled his eyes as he sprints off in the direction of the heartless.

"Forget it, I'll do it myself!"

"Sora, wait!"

She gave up once Sora hurried deeper inside of the mine to rescue Kuame. She decided it would be best to just find her own way to the dojo and hopefully she'd run into Sora again. She proceeded down the trail.

The Rapid Thrusters caught sight of Sora on their stalk. They used their stingers to dig into the ceiling. Rubble began to rain on the boy. Sora, being the adroit, quick thinker that he was, found a way to dodge, duck, and jump over the falling rocks—occasionally having to use the Keyblade to swipe them away.

Sora covered his face with his arms and jumped out of the overwhelming downpour. As the rubble cleared, Sora was greeted to an unexpected amount of Rapid Thrusters prepared to do him some damage. Sora was caught off guard and ended up getting stung viciously in midair.

Sora grunted as he plunged down, the thick air dropping him. He plummeted face first onto the ground. He used his hands to help lift his upper body with some exertion. He opened an eye and saw his Keyblade in the short distance. He reached for it but ended up getting interrupted by more Rapid Thrusters.

Their sharp stingers pointed at Sora threateningly. Kuame was seen in the background of his view still being held by the heartless collectively.

"What are you doing, boy? Run away!"

Giving up was not an option for Sora. He wasn't going to give up on anybody—no matter who they were. He had to find out a way to escape this situation. He had about ten seconds to examine his surroundings and find something that would feed him an advantage. The mine was empty aside from the dusty train tracks that led to the dojo. Dirt and rocks filled his standpoint.

That didn't give him much inspiration for ideas. Come on, Sora—think! Think!

He eyed the Keyblade and sighed. If only he could use the Keyblade's power to his advantage. Wait a second—that was it! He reached for his Keyblade. It was engulfed with light and reappeared in Sora's hand. His determination refueled his strength as he powered out of the grasp of the Rapid Thrusters right before they were able to sever his timeline short. He swiped them with the Keyblade using both hands.

He landed on the ground and stuck his Keyblade inside the wall, wrenching the blade inside like an actual key. With the wall crumbling, it caused the ceiling to collapse. With the heartless distracted, Sora launched himself into the air, snatching Kuame from their possession. He placed the old man over his shoulder and sprinted off as the entire mine began to implode on itself.

Sora had to dodge rocks along with hails of rubble just to keep him and the old man breathing. His legs didn't tire easy. Kuame's breath hissed against his ear in dread. That alone was enough to stimulate Sora's willpower. He couldn't let this old man die in vain.

One of the heartless quickly whirled around one of the descending rocks and quickly used its stinger to send a shock wave towards the ceiling, causing a large boulder to fall right atop of Sora. He noticed at the last second and threw Kuame out of the way just in the nick of time.

Sora tried to catch up but he ended up tripping on his foot. He looked up at the boulder with fright embezzled in his orbs. He closed his eyes and waited for his death to come crashing on him.

After having his eyes closed for ten seconds, he noticed that he was still alive. Sora looked up to see Claire keeping the boulder in place in the air, using her Keyblade to keep it afloat. She looked at Sora with slight annoyance.

"We haven't got all day!"

He snapped out of it and crawled out of the way. Claire made a throwing motion with the Keyblade, causing the big rock to whirl in that direction. It crashed into a number of heartless. Her Keyblade turned into some sort of glider and she threw it into the air as if it were a paper airplane. She ran straight ahead while seizing Sora and Kuame by the hand, hopping onto her Keyblade Glider.

The ceiling was beginning to completely cave in. Claire stepped on the front of her blade to kick it into overdrive. She was able to narrowly swirl around the threatening rocks, clutching onto Kuame as much as she could. Sora did his part, using the Keyblade to swipe away any bits of the ceiling coming from behind them. The air nearly suffocated them. The speed was exhilarating.

"I see light!" Claire announced.

Sora turned to see a spark of light in the distance. In a flash, he felt the collision of the dusty road, his sight tattered in darkness. He opened his eyes to find that the mine had completely buckled into nothing but a pile of rocks. After letting out a few held back coughs from the intense action, he attempted to help himself up. His arms trembled and he nearly slipped back to the ground eating dirt, but Claire grabbed him at the last second and helped him reach his feet.

"You okay?" she asked.

Sora staggered for a second but was able to level himself. "I'm good—but I think I've had enough excitement for, oh I dunno, the rest of my life."

She smirked. "I have this feeling that that's not an option for you."

"Yeah, and you're probably right. So, you actually decided to use the Keyblade, huh?"

She stole a glance at its beauty but turned quickly. "I couldn't let you die in there. I had to do something—I was just afraid…"

"Afraid of what? You seem to still be the same old down-to-earth Claire I know. So there was nothing to be worried about."

She brought her Keyblade to her eyes and looked at it monotonously. "Don't let your guard down, Sora. Things aren't always what they seem."

The twosome noticed Kuame struggling. They took a hold of him, lifting him to his feet effortlessly while placing each arm of his over their shoulder in one swift motion.

"You alright?" Sora asked.

"I'm fine, but…" Kuame trailed off when he noticed the destruction of the mine. "I've been travelling through this mine for years…"

Claire's sympathy wore out rather quickly. "No offense, but you can dwell on this later. We really need to get to Master Xaldin."

"Y-You're right… do not worry. It's just up this mountain."

He presented the dojo that sat patiently on top of a heap right before them.

* * *

Xaldin, now dressed in a single black leather hooded coat just like Master Xehanort, flipped his idiosyncratic black locks back.

"I have to say, the outfits match my style," Xaldin said half-jokingly. "But now with Radiant Garden's empire destined to fall without their precious king, what move do we make next?"

"Is it not obvious?"

"If it were, I wouldn't be asking."

"We are going to attack Radiant Garden with its defenses weak."

"Why are you so obsessed with Radiant Garden?" Xaldin stroked his chin in curiosity.

"There are some threats I'd like to abolish as soon as possible if I can. The king just so happens to be one of them—his wife is another. She defiled my triumph once and I'll be damned if I allow it to happen a second time."

Xaldin took a seat in a nearby chair. "And what about the boy with the Key? Why not take him out of the picture as well?"

"Oh, Xaldin—such a weak mindset. It is pointless to even try to apprehend him. Have you not ever heard of the legend of the Radiant Garden princess?"

Xaldin didn't respond.

"Long ago, this war that we're partaking in was already predicted by the monks of The Land of the Dragons. They said that the princess shall have a destined protector, but also that the same one chosen to protect the princess will participate in the clash between the seven lights and thirteen darkness's. Don't you see? There is no point in trying to subdue the Keyblade wielder, no matter happens; fate will lead him to the Keyblade war."

"So it's just a big waste of time? I see. But what if the queen just so happens to be another one of the seven remnants of lights?"

Master Xehanort smirked. "Impossible. Her heart is pure, but is veiled with restrained darkness."

"Really, now? Interesting. I never would have guessed."

"And if she does come here, we'll have to take that darkness of hers and put it to good use."

Footsteps clumping against the hardwood floor became evident to their ears. A man in a black coat identical to theirs enters before them with his face shrouded underneath the hood.

"Xemnas, is that you? I thought I told you to go out and recruit more members," Xehanort says sternly.

The man didn't respond. He only summoned two Keyblades, a dark one named Oblivion and a lighter one named Oathkeeper. The two just glare at the mysterious man with furrowed brows.

"Who the hell are you?"

The mystifying presence stormed to Master Xehanort without hesitation and began wailing at him with the two Keyblades. Master Xehanort was able to dodge and deflect every attempt the man made, but it didn't happen without difficulty. The man swung his Keyblade as his body partook into a spinning motion. Xehanort had to bend backwards to avoid it.

Xehanort performed a somersault all the while unleashing his Keyblade. Xaldin didn't hesitate to get into action. He does cringing finger motions before thrusting his palm towards the trespasser, a gush of wind miraculously hitting the man like a barrier.

The figure was able to regain his balance in midair as he twirled against the currents, finding his place in his flick. He landed his foot on the wall before stepping back onto the floor. He clashed his Keyblades together before running towards his opponents.

Xaldin summoned six lances, three in each hand. He spun before using his lances to distribute impressive amounts of wind towards him with full force; all the while Xehanort induced a stroke of lightning within the wind using a magic spell.

The man was able to deflect himself from the blow, not taking a second to slow down. He dashed into the air and targeted Xehanort. He lunged at the Master and performed a quick set of Keyblade strikes. He was able to connect a remarkable amount of them; their Keyblades clanged against each other. He missedhis last attempt—which would have been the most powerful—and is hit with a strong Keyblade thrust.

The man was still able to land on his feet. This guy's agility was admirable. Xaldin caught him off guard and teleported above him, diving down with his lances in tow. The mysterious man was able to read Xaldin's movements and dodged the attack, making Xaldin clash to the floor with an empty result. The cloaked individual masterfully painted a mental image of what Xaldin attempted and imitated him, teleporting above him with his Keyblades, ready to strike. He hit Xaldin with both Keyblades going in opposite directions.

Xaldin tumbled back a few feet but stopped himself in a crouched position. He glared at the man with gritted teeth and used the power of his wind technique to summon his lances once more to return to his possession.

The man noticed he was trapped, surrounded by both adept combatants. They slowly encircled him as if he were prey, ready for slaughter.

"What is your business here?" Xaldin asked, twirling his lances around his body using finger skills.

The man didn't answer and simply tossed the Oathkeeper Keyblade towards Xaldin. The Whirlwind Lancer leapt into the air and tossed one of his lances towards the cloaked man. He dodged with a swift churn into the air. He struck Xaldin with a blizzaga spell.

Xaldin cried as he topples to the floor, caught in a chain of ice.

The man faced Master Xehanort and readied his dual Keyblades. Xehanort grins evilly.

"There's something familiar about you…" he said.

Just as the clash was about to commence…

"Hey!" said the voice of Sora as he sprinted inside. "Sorry to intrude, but hey, I crash parties I'm not invited to."

All eyes hit Sora as his Keyblade popped into his hand.

Master Xehanort leapt into the air over the mysterious figure and tossed his Keyblade at Sora. The brunet leapt out of the way, but the impact that Xehanort's Keyblade made once it attached to the ground entangled Sora's feet in midair. He fell over, letting an "oof" escape his lips.

Xaldin almost chuckled. "This is supposed to be the chosen one? How pathetic. I almost feel sorry for the princess." He broke out of the ice that hindered him.

Sora took a gander at Xaldin and gave him a dull stare.

"Remember when I asked for your opinion? Me neither."

Xaldin drove three lances towards Sora but the boy was able to dodge roll out of the way. "This would go along better if you ceased yourself from talking."

"That was a rude thing to say. Who pissed in your cheerios this morning?"

Claire and Kuame made it inside. She ran over to Sora protectively.

The mysterious figure decided that there was too much interference and created a dark portal before entering inside. The Queen glared at Master Xehanort.

"Where's my husband?!"

His response was a smirk. "Queen Claire, how nice it is to see you again."

She recognized that voice. "You… you're the same one who betrothed the castle that day."

She drew her sword.

"Your Excellency, what is thirty seven minus sixteen?"

Claire ignored the question as she dashed towards Xehanort without warning. She sliced her sword, but missed with the Master being able to swiftly spin around her and use his elbow to connect to her back. She hit the ground painfully.

He leaned down and grabbed her by the head. Sora tried to help her, but was held back by Xaldin.

"I'll tell you what it is!" Xehanort screamed into her ear, a crazed look in his yellow eyes. "It's the age you were when you ruined me!"

As if a shadow was cast over Claire's face, she came into realization. "W-What are you talking about?!" She tried looking at his face with what little movement she had.

He snickered. "Claire, it's been far too long."

She tried struggling to get out of his grasp. "Where is he?! Where is Hope?! Give him back!"

"Oh, you're far too late for that, missy. I've already dismissed him."

"Where. Is. My. Husband?!" she asked through clenched teeth.

"He's taking a dirt nap."

Filled with rage, Claire was able to power out of Xehanort's grasp. He was able to land on his feet but was taken aback by her strength. Her breathing became impaired as she turned to him menacingly. Thirty seven minus sixteen equaled twenty one.

That was the same age when she…

It couldn't be!

"You… you fucking bastard! You fucking piece of shit!" She carelessly tossed her feeble sword to the side. She balled her fingers into a fist. "You've brought me to the edge… you've made me become the one person I swore that I would never become again… why the hell did you come back?"

Master Xehanort summoned his Keyblade, his leer acting as the coal to her sweltering rage. "Consider yourself lucky for me to care enough at all to consider you a threat. There are not many people who can starve me for vengeance like you, Claire."

"I'm not Claire—to you, I'm Lightning!"

She summoned her Keyblade and zipped towards Xehanort. The two sparred Keyblades, their strikes too fast for the naked eye to catch separately.

"Boner alert," Sora said absent-mindedly. He looked up to notice Xaldin caught in the moment and punched him in the gut using his elbow. With Xaldin groaning in pain, Sora sped off to go see if Hope really was somewhere in this dojo.

His eyes set on some stairs and he ran down quickly, Master Xaldin on his trail. Sora whipped out his Keyblade and pointed back at his stalker, trying to blow some kind of magic at him, but the Keyblade remained silent.

"Come on! Work, damn it!" Sora said before he clumsily hit the wall ahead of him. Xaldin smirked at the opportunity and summoned his lances, thrusting them towards Sora. The boy noticed at the last minute and ran out of the way, turning the corner quickly.

He saw a pipe connected to the wall and figured that it contained something that may be useful. He swiped it with the Keyblade, causing a jet of smoke to create a barrier between him and Xaldin. It bought him some time to get some distance away from the Whirlwind Lancer. Deep in his mind, Sora knew that he had to get Xaldin off his trail for a lot longer, but his Keyblade skills weren't exactly admirable. He'd have to use his brain as a weapon.

Sora stopped before he could get too far and tried to analyze his surroundings. He already knew that these pipes held steam; all he had to do is use that to his advantage. Sora punctured holes in every pipe he could find—causing a sauna of smolder to pollute the air. Xaldin caught up with Sora and used his lances to whisk the mist away.

"Why must you hide from me? Come out and fight me like a man!"

"Acting like a dick won't make yours bigger." Sora's voice was the only thing Xaldin heard.

The air grew too thick; even if he whipped it with his lances, the air nearly suffocated him and he ended up falling to his knees gagging.

Sora saw a door in the short distance and busted in shoulder first. He was greeted to a dim lit room, empty of any substance aside from a cell. He saw a body sitting against the wall, his face emotionless with his bangs shrouding his eyes. Droplets of water creased his locks of hair. He assumed it was sweat, since the humid air weighed Sora down tremendously. Perhaps the steam from outside the hallway contributed.

He squinted at the boy who has entered. "Sora?"

"Your Majesty!" Sora immediately used his Keyblade to bust the bars open with one powerful slash. Hope immediately ran up to Sora and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"I can't believe you're actually here! Did anyone come with you?"

"Yeah, the queen is—"

A sweep of air smacked Sora in the face as Hope dashed up the stairs. Sora followed behind.

Master Xehanort blasted energy attacks at Lightning. Globes with traces of dark and orange aimed at Lightning. She narrowly dodged them with corky movements using her abdomen. She lunged into the air with her Keyblade gripped tight in her hands. Her face was etched with anger.

She came crashing down on Xehanort with her Keyblade coming into contact with his. The brunt propelled Xehanort's body against the wall. He grunted in pain as Lightning lifted him by the collar, looking into his soul with the fiery pits of hell aiding her scorn. Sweat cascaded her forehead.

"I should have killed you that day…"

Xehanort laughed maniacally. "You don't have the aptitude to be so cold."

She lifted the Keyblade ready to end Xehanort's life. "Too bad for you—you've unleashed a monster…"

"Claire!"

Lightning turned around to see Sora and Hope enter the room. Her face brightened radiantly for a split second, dimming once again as her eyes returned to Xehanort. She threw him down with as much disrespect as she could muster into her arm.

She ran to Hope and tackled him into a hug. She grazed his hair and kissed him on the lips passionately. He didn't hesitate to return the kiss. She breathed into him as their lips parted, her smile revealing itself from its discard. "I thought they had really killed you for a moment!"

"Come on, have a little more faith in me," he soothed, caressing her silky hair.

Distracted by their reunited love, Hope and Lightning didn't take note of Master Xehanort materializing an energy sphere in his hands. He blasted it towards the couple. Sora stepped in the way and deflected the attack with his own Keyblade.

"Back off!" he cried.

Master Xehanort chuckled. "Well, at least you've gotten better than the last time I saw you use that Keyblade."

Tired of his arrogance, Sora shuffled his feet greatly towards Xehanort. As he was about to attack with a potent blow using his Keyblade, he was knocked back by a force field. He smashed against the ground as his back skidded against the hardwood floor. With pain thriving in his spine area, he looked up to see what happened.

He saw Kuame standing in front of Xehanort with his walking stick in proper position, a static of blue electricity sizzling to a halt.

"Kuame, what the hell!"

Kuame's face showed no emotion. "I am sorry, Sora. But I have to retrieve my honor. And the only way to do it is if I'm able to do something that's substantial to my worth. In that case, bringing you to Master Xaldin as bate was a golden opportunity I couldn't miss. Isn't that right, Xaldin?"

The trio turned around to find a sweaty Xaldin giving them a sneer.

"You fell right into the trap."

"What trap?" Lightning asked.

Xaldin used his wind to sweep Sora, Lightning, and Hope to the side. He showcased his palm to Kuame, a dark matter being transcended towards him in the blink of an eye. Kuame's body began morphing. The wrinkles in his skin creased, and his muscles bloated into something much more firm and impressive. His once old visage turned into a young, even handsome countenance. With devilish orange eyes and long silver escaping his once bald head, Kuame returned to his original self.

"It's nice to have you back," Xaldin said.

"W-Who are you?" Sora's trembling voice asked.

Kuame in his new form ignored Sora for a moment as his clothes molded on his body. He had a black, high-collared leather coat that was grey from the waist down; a black leather pauldron was attached to each shoulder. On his chest was the heartless emblem, and he had black tights that were hidden behind a thigh-length vest and black boots.

He relished in his own triumph and felt his cold personality returning.

"It is I, Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness."

Sora backed up towards Lightning with his Keyblade ready just in case they decided to attack. "I've got a bad feeling about our chances right now. I think it's best if we got out of here."

Lightning nodded in agreement. She pointed her Keyblade at Ansem, a blast surging from the tip. Ansem flipped out of the way, and a giant hole planted into the wall. Lightning threw her Keyblade into the air and it turned into a glider. She placed Hope's arm over her shoulder and carried him quickly onto her glider, Sora following her all the way.

When the smoke cleared, Xaldin, Xehanort, and Ansem could only see the heroes flying off into the distance. Xaldin was about to chase after them before Xehanort placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Let them go," he said quietly. "There isn't much of a point. They'll reach the outskirts of the mountains in no time on that glider. We have more important things to do."

"And what exactly might that be?"

A smirk traced Xehanort's lips.

"We still have an X-blade to get our hands on, gentlemen."

* * *

The trip back home was silent. There wasn't much to say, but Lightn—or, Claire was just glad to have Hope back safe and sound. He had fallen asleep during the flight home. Sora sat down on the end of the Keyblade, his back turned towards Claire.

He watched over Radiant Garden, the pedestrians all wandering the town in good spirits. He saw the library in the far distance. He wanted to ask the queen if he could stop there just for a second, but he knew this might not be the right time. Claire needed support after the trip down memory lane she had today.

"Xion…"

His eyes showed sympathy. He knew that the queen might have had quite a confliction purging in her brain. He turned to her and saw her stone expression.

"Hey, uh—Claire…"

"I don't recall giving you permission to address me by my first name. My daughter is one thing, but I am the queen of Radiant Garden and you will show me respect."

He lowered his gaze and turned back around. "Sorry."

Guilt slowly crept into her and she let out a weary breath. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad, it's just—what a day." She smiled at her sleeping husband. "I'm just glad to have my Hopie back."

Sora wanted to laugh at the nickname she gave him. He looked at her with admiration. Underneath that badass exterior, Claire was just a big softy.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll live. It's just… Xehanort—he really brought out the worst in me. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"We all have a dark side to us."

"I know." She chuckled softly. "Funny, I thought that it would be the Keyblade that would turn me back into Lightning. Turns out, it was only him that turned me back into Lightning. I don't want to be her anymore, Sora. I don't want to be known for anger."

His brows furrowed. "Well, that seems a little dumb."

"Pardon me?"

"Lightning is a part of who you are. She represents the anger inside of you. I don't think it's okay to just run away from that anger. You have to confront it, and channel it at your own pace so that you can have full control of it. Isn't that what we all want? Balance with our emotions?"

She remained uncertain, but he had a point. She certainly was running away from Lightning, but she didn't know if that was the right thing to do. Claire simply wanted to proceed her life as peacefully as she could.

She was brought out of her thoughts as she saw the castle come into her view. She flew over the gate before landing the Keyblade right before the door. Sora stood up as Light's Flight disintegrated. Claire let out a sigh. Sora placed a hand on her shoulder with eyes telling her that everything would be okay. She reciprocated with an assuring nod before the two opened the large door. They entered the castle.

Merlin, who had been waiting patiently by the thrones, immediately dashed in their direction.

"You've returned! Oh, thank goodness!" He tightened Claire into a hug. She chuckled a bit nervously.

"Hi, dad."

It wasn't long before Serah and Kairi came running in from the kitchen. Serah tackled Sora into a hug.

"My beautiful, sexy Sora!" She placed her hands around his face. "You're not hurt, are you? They didn't bruise you up did they, my love?" She kissed him all over his cheek, which Sora didn't appreciate, and he shoved her off.

Kairi placed a hand on Claire's shoulder. "Mother, you've found him."

She nodded in response as she handed Hope over to Merlin. "Could you take him to our bedroom, dad? I'm exhausted."

He did as requested, noting the fatigue his daughter displayed.

"What happened?" Kairi asked. "Did you find out anything important? You have to fill us in on the details!"

"Later, Kairi—right now, I'm exhausted, and I have a raging headache."

Kairi gave Claire a genuine look. "Um, mother… are you okay? I-I made some tea earlier if it makes you feel bet—"

"Shut up! What do you not get about a raging headache?! Just—shut your mouth!"

Kairi gaped at her mother. "How dare you speak to your daughter that way? I demand that you show me some respect!"

Claire angrily grabbed Kairi by the hair and pulled her head back. "Defiant child! How dare you?!" She lifted her hand ready to smack her into some sense, until Sora pushed her away.

"Get a grip, Claire!"

Claire came into realization when she noticed Kairi's glassy eyes. She recoiled as she stared at her hands, baffled by what she had almost done. She would have beaten her defenseless daughter into a pulp if Sora weren't there to stop her. Where did that anger come from? Was it Lightning? Was Lightning beginning to overcome her once again?

"Oh my god—Kairi, I'm so…" She couldn't even look at her daughter in the face due to the shame that had been latched onto her. She turneds from her daughter in despair and quickly ran up the stairs to make it to her bedroom.

Kairi got up and attempted to chase after her. "Mother—"

Sora stopped her, a stern look in his face. "Leave her be. She's had a rough day."

"A rough day?"

"Yeah, a trip down memory lane kind of rough day."

"Oh." She rubbed her arm. "Oh, by the way, I have some laundry that needs to be done. It's waiting for you on my bed."

He lifted a brow. "So that's the thanks I get for risking my life to save your dad? Nice."

"Hey, I never asked you to go—mother did. If it were up to me, you would have stayed back home and helped Naminé do the dishes, where you belong."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you have an off button, or is there no intermission to your drama?"

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Har har," she said sarcastically. "Just get out of my face, you pathetic frog. And I'll be waiting for that laundry to get done before I go to sleep tonight."

"Psh, whatever."

He tried not to get too pissed off at her. It wasn't like she knew any better. The two began to part ways in opposite directions.

"Hey," Kairi's voice stopped Sora in his tracks. He turned to her with raised brows.

"What's up?"

She turned to him with slight blush. "Thank you."

He smiled, causing her blush to deepen. Perhaps somewhere down in her profound need in her self-absorbed ways, there was some hope for her.

"Any time, princess."

* * *

**I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. **

**It took a while for me to update, and I apologize, but I was spending countless days and hours trying to find the strength to just jot this whole chapter down. I've spent the last two days editing and revising this chapter nonstop. **

**This chapter's main focal point was action, obviously. Not too much relationship development in this one. So sorry for those of you who wanted some more character interactions between Sora and Kairi/Namine, but don't worry, because we're gonna slow things down again in the next chapter and we'll start developing things more. Not that there won't be ANY action for those of you who like the action/adventure aspects of this story. I'm trying to give you guys a good, balanced blend of all three. **

**Now, writing action scenes aren't really a strong suit of mine either. I'm not used to it, and it's part of the reason why it took me so long to get this out. I stepped out of my comfort zone, and I wanted it to be the best that it could be. I've mostly written romance stories throughout my little career and I haven't tackled anything too action-y. I'm new to all of this, so please tell me in a review if the action in this was written okay! And I'd really appreciate it if you left me a review in general! They're a big motivator for me to update faster and to give me the feeling that I'm not doing this for no reason. **

**The thing with Kuame was to make it seem a little more unexpected that he was actually Ansem. Well, Kuame isn't exactly Ansem, he's just- you know what? That whole thing will be explained more in future chaps lol. **

**I didn't want to make this chapter this long either. I always aim for 5,000 words at the very least, but I try not to go past 8,000, so I hope this wasn't overbearing for you! **

**And last but not least, I give a big shoutout to a recently made friend of mines, Princess-Xion. She's an awesome writer! I'd like it a lot if you all went to go and check out her stuff, because she really is amazing. I consider her to be the edgier version of Kyorii lol. Her story "Tears on the Runway" is REALLY good and I encourage all of you to check it out. Right now! Or else I'll come to your houses and torture you! **

**So yeah, I think I got out everything I wanted to say. It shouldn't be too long for me to drop the next chap because it most likely won't be as action-oriented. And if that's the case, I'll be in more of my element, so I can get it out faster. Hell, I might even be able to get it out during the weekend if I work hard enough. Until then, have a great day and I thank all of my supporters! I really appreciate it, guys! Love you! **


	10. Envious

She tossed and turned in her sleep. Her pillow was soaked with her perspiration. She moaned and hissed as images of a dark creature clasping at her heart silently tortured her during her unconscious hallucinations.

Claire quickly sprung up from her bed in a cold sweat. She placed the palm of her hand on her forehead, took a look at it, and saw it drenched. The heat exhausted her; she could barely keep consciousness and felt sick to her stomach. She looked beside her and saw Hope sleeping peacefully, all wrapped up in the comforter.

Their bedroom had a light purple hue that appeared grim in modest illumination, but the moon had peaked through the casement windows by the side allowing radiance to sneak through the darkness. Their white, inexpressive bed was stacked with lavender sheets that hugged the mattress tightly, and next to it was a small table with a floral vase standing silently. The walls showcased paintings of Claire and her husband. She attached her eyes to one of the portraits she had of herself. She was clad in her metallic armor with the Keyblade pointed towards the sky, a determined look on her face, and black rose petals framed her slim figure.

The image represented her time and dedication to being Lightning, the bravest warrior in Radiant Garden's entire kingdom. The rose petals tinged with black represented the darkness in her heart at the time. Claire felt eerie to be looking at herself in such an almost...remorseful state of mind. The regret of her days as a fierce brutality had caught up to her. The old Lightning would kick Claire's ass just for having these weak-minded thoughts. Her presumption was proven true, as she looked back at her face in the painting and saw that it had turned to look her deep into the eyes with her brows furrowed. Her pupils shone irritation at Claire for being so vulnerable.

Claire rubbed her eyes and quickly looked back at the painting to see that the face was back in its original position, looking up ahead with determination. These hallucinations were getting out of control, and the painting was successfully sending shivers down her spine.

She got up from the bed and staggered out of the door, her sticky skin dripping puddles.

She made it down the hallway into the bathroom, quickly turning on the faucet. She cupped her hands with the water and splashed her face, trembling slightly from the chilliness. With eyes closed to shield herself away from the droplets that tried to worm their way inside her eyelids, she patted her hand around to find a towel. She felt the rough fabric and used it to wipe her features dry.

She looked at herself in the mirror.

And she saw herself, but she was dressed in armor and she held onto a devilish smirk—a smirk she definitely did not feel on her own lips at the moment. She yelped and recoiled, shutting her eyes tight. She hesitated to open them, but when she did, she saw a frightened Claire Estheim staring back at her, whimpering from the sudden vision.

Claire stood up straight and after calming her breaths, she looked at her reflection with a dull gaze. "Grab a hold of yourself, Claire—you're starting to see things. On top of that, you're talking to yourself, so you know you need some rest."

But first—a drink. She made her way downstairs, all the way across the large main entrance until she finally got to the kitchen. She went into the cabinets and pulled out a glass. She went into the refrigerator and filled it with some orange juice. She felt like a big kid, needing OJ to soothe her in the middle of the night, but she didn't care. She nearly suffocated with the way she quickly downed her drink.

She coughed as the glass parted from her lips. She wiped her mouth. A sigh involuntarily escaped her; she was glad to have gotten that out of her system.

"Feel better?" said a monotone but feminine voice.

Frightened by the abruptness of it, Claire dropped her glass. She looked at the kitchen counter and saw something that paralyzed her.

She saw herself—sitting at the counter—with a martini. But it wasn't her—it was Lightning.

"W-W-W-Wh-Wh-W-W-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh—" Claire couldn't even start a sentence, she was so scared.

Lightning, still dressed in a slender armor suit, took a sip out of her martini before setting it back down on the counter. "That's some pretty good shit."

"Wh-Wh-Who are you? Why the hell are you in my house?!"

"Aw, is that any way to talk to yourself? Who'd ever thought I'd let a man turn me into such a spineless weakling?"

Claire closed her eyes. "You're not me! You're just an illusion! And you'll go away right when I open my eyes!"

She opened her eyes and…

Nobody was there. Relief settled, but soon was disrupted as a hand gently touched her shoulder from behind. Claire looked up to see her own face once again.

"You've been running away from me, Claire…" Lightning said, caressing Claire by the cheek.

Claire got up immediately and backed up. "Stay away! I'm warning you—you—whoever you are!" Claire tried to summon her Keyblade, but it never materialized.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Lightning pulled up True Light's Flight, eyeing it carelessly. "It only abides by my command." Lightning stowed the Keyblade away while walking towards Claire slowly and menacingly.

"Y-Y-you… stay away, I'm warning you! Stay away from me!"

Lightning's devilish smirk became apparent in the dark shadows, the dim light of the room highlighting her creepy visage. She ran up to Claire and roughly pushed her against the wall, grasping her by the wrists.

"You can't run from me, Claire… what's the use… in running from yourself?"

Claire lost it. She tried to fight out of Lightning's hold, but she was too powerful. "Leave me alone! Leave me alone, oh my god! Leave me alone! Don't touch me! You're not me! You're not me!"

"Mother! Mom! Calm down, please!"

Claire opened her eyes.

"K-Kairi…?"

Kairi's cobalt eyes were lost in a mixture of fright and confusion. She was grasping Claire by the wrists, similarly as her other self seemingly had done as well. Claire froze in time, trying to digest everything that was in front of her now. Kairi slowly unrestricted her mother's wrists.

"Um…" Kairi began, "I heard you screaming from my room… are you okay?"

Claire's hands trembled in anxiety. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Was it all just an illusion? But it felt so real. She felt her other self when she came into physical contact with her, she felt the texture of the palms—but was it all just a façade?

Sora and Riku came running into the room, both with heavy bags under their eyes but with alarmed postures. Sora had his Keyblade ready while Riku had found a vase that he probably planned to bat someone against the head with.

"What's going on?" Sora asked, trying to sound brave.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Calm down, 'oh fearless leaders'. Everything's okay (I think), mother just had a bad dream or something. Now go back to bed."

"Aw…" Riku whined, "I was hoping to get to…" he yawned, "whack somebody in the head with this thing…"

Sora patted Riku on the back as they left. "If only, young grasshopper… if only…"

Kairi turned back to her mother and helped her to her feet. "So, what happened?"

She saw herself—if only it were in a blind eye. The image of her own menacing face tormenting her was traumatizing the poor queen. She trembled slightly but didn't want to worry her daughter. Her lips twitched into a smile.

"Nothing. It was like you said, just a bad dream."

Kairi looked unimpressed. "Is that really it?" Kairi yawned as she exited. "Well, go back to sleep then—you big baby."

Claire chuckled, believing she probably deserved that title. The queen of Radiant Garden—screaming like a little school girl. It was all in her head, and she was letting it affect her so painfully. It'd be best if she went back to sleep. She stopped by the door and took one last look at the empty kitchen. There weren't any signs of life or creepy ghosts infiltrating the place, so she hurried herself back into her bedroom.

Hope looked the same as she left him. The sound of Claire reentering their quarters made him shift in his bed until he found a soft spot. She would have giggled if she weren't so scared and cold. Her feet shuffled against the carpet as she lay back into the soft mattress. Hope shifted again and subconsciously wrapped an arm around his wife. She found the strength to giggle at that and allowed herself to be swallowed in his warmth. She closed her eyes.

It was just an illusion.

* * *

"Wake up!"

Sora's eyes shot open. He would have nearly fallen off of the rail if not for Kairi grabbing him by the wrist at the very last second, pulling him over.

"Lazy bum, it's time for you to get up!"

He looked at the sky—it was barely the break of dawn. "What time is it? Is it even six yet?"

"It's six on the dot."

"What the hell is so important that you'd have me wake up this early?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"What else? What applies to the morning?"

He thought for a second. "Breakfast…?"

"Duh! Now get down into the kitchen and fix me something to eat."

"I'm not your slave."

"But you are beneath me, so you shall do what I say."

That statement was getting severely old. "Um, no I won't."

"You dare play this game with me?"

"Fine… fine…"

Sora stood up from the rail, rubbing his eyes a bit more, scratched his groin for a split second, and walked inside of the castle. Kairi followed him behind in good spirits.

"See? Look at how easy we can get along when you just follow what I say."

"Mm hm." He was barely listening to her. He could only tell that she asked a somewhat rhetorical question so he automatically agreed to whatever she said.

He stopped by the door of her room.

"Hold on, I'll be right back." He entered her own room. She heard it being locked on the other side and her eyes widened.

"Wait a minute—what the hell are you doing?" she asked as she knocked on the door.

"Sleeping," Sora said, his voice hardly audible.

"I told you to make me some breakfast!"

"Tough cookies." He turned around. The sight of her bed literally made him drool. He had never seen a mattress look so soft. He closed in on it like a zombie before collapsing, sinking into the welcoming surface. He hadn't slept in a bed in about ten years. To say he was relaxed was the understatement of the decade.

He got himself comfortable as he wrapped himself in the warm blankets.

"What are you doing? You had better not be on my bed!" She received no response. "Oh! You filthy parasite!"

"I've been called worse by better."

She kicked the door but ended up stubbing her toe. She hopped on one foot as she clutched her injured foot. "Ow! Damn it! Shit! Fuck! Fuck! Shit! Motherfucking fucker fuckity fuck fuck!"

Kairi calmed herself down. No one had ever made her swear so much like he had. She gave up. The door was locked and Sora was probably knocked out by now. She made her way back to the rail, disintegrating onto the infamous castle hot spot. Her stomach snarled at her, telling her that it longed for some food.

"Shut up." Fatigue hit her as she closed her own eyes.

* * *

Surrounded by nothing but a vast view of a dispatched prairie and dirt sat the little dome that slightly poked its head above the ground. The lab Master Xehanort had to call his temporary home.

Xehanort was being dragged in by his grandson. Xemnas pressed the digits into the keypad as the house allowed him access.

Master Xehanort's breathing was impaired. His skin began lazily slithering off his body, wrinkles of his signature texture slouched towards the ground. An automatic door zipped to the left, allowing them entry. Xemnas laid Master Xehanort on a nearby couch, slicked in white fabric. Xemnas hurried to the big husk that had originally returned Master Xehanort his youth to him.

Going off the top of his dome, Xemnas pressed a few buttons appropriately on the keypad before pulling on the lever. A vial with green liquid appeared out of the capsule. Times like these made Xemnas grateful he had such a photographic memory.

Sweat rolled down Master Xehanort's aging pelt, he placed the back of his hand against it. Xemnas carefully handed his grandfather the vial as Xehanort twitched his fingers to grasp it. Before he could go through any more pain, he downed the drink. He froze, his body pausing in time as if he were locked into the ice age, and slowly but surely the wrinkles on his crusty skin smoothed out. His eyesight cleared out. He could breathe again as his young appearance refurbished.

"Intense," Xemnas said, half-jokingly.

Master Xehanort offered a scowl before making his way up to his feet, stretching his limbs. He threw off his black coat to reveal himself in nothing but black tights, boots, and shirtless. If he were out in public, his muscles and well-toned physique would have garnered attention.

"So, what was that all about?" Xemnas asked to fill the silence.

Master Xehanort pounded his fist against the machine. "I can only gain small dosages from this thing. I need a permanent source of radiation to allow its effects to last forever."

"That stuff has radiation?" Xemnas asked incredulously. "Grandfather, I—"

"Master Xehanort, to you!"

Xemnas calmed himself as he took in a deep breath. "Sorry. But I can't let you use radiation. Do you know how dangerous that stuff is?"

"Of course I do, you imbecile. But what other options do I have?"

"Just keep taking small doses."

"And if I run out of time during battle?"

"Bring a set of vials with you on the move."

Xehanort scoffed as he used his index finger and his thumb to pick up one of the vials. "Please. These itty bitty things are too fragile. They'd break in a millisecond."

"How does radiation even do that?"

"Its substance can reduce physical appearance by simply reconstructing certain DNA if it goes through the proper manufacturing—hence, my invention. In a sense, I'm still eighty four years old even with my newfound look. But looks can be deceiving."

Xehanort went into a nearby closet and pulled out a pressed white dress shirt with the sleeves puffed out towards the end. He quickly put it on.

"What's with the outfit?"

"I'm going to give Radiant Garden one more go to see if I can't take their land and use it for my own personal use. If not, then we'll move onto plan B. We'll take our efforts to other establishments, build our recruits, and then take Radiant Garden. It'll be putty in our hands."

"Xaldin and Ansem are already looking for recruits, aren't they?"

"You are correct."

"I don't see why we can't just infiltrate this place with the heartless."

"That's the plan, you idiot. But if you haven't noticed yet, plans don't always progress as smoothly as you originally intend. And that queen seems to always find a way to ruin everything along with her little sidekick, the Keyblade kid. We'll have to take a detour on our schedule with the way things seem to be turning out."

"If you say so. Still doesn't explain the getup."

"I'm going into town to start commanding my heartless. Formal clothing deludes suspicion. Remember that as a life lesson. You don't need to look the part to play the part. With that in mind, fools like the ones you see on the street won't even bat an eye at you."

"What do I do?"

"You tell me."

"Well, this is all supposed to be your genius idea, so shouldn't it be you telling me?"

Master Xehanort overlapped a thick grey coat that went to his thigh over his dress shirt. "Are you not the one who insisted on breaking me out? I can only do so much, Xemnas. I need you to contribute to the task at hand as well by taking the initiative. Grow up and be a man without needing me to hold your hand and spoon feed you all of the damn time."

"Huh, some great leader, leaving me on my own like this. How am I supposed to know what you have in store?"

"Figure. It. Out."

With such a vague request swirling the air, Master Xehanort made his exit. Xemnas plopped back onto the sofa, wondering what to do. Why did his grandfather have to act like they shared the same brain? He didn't know what he was doing and he wasn't sure if it was flattering that Xehanort thought that they did or just overwhelming.

* * *

Damn it.

Sora had been lying down on Kairi's soft bed for an hour and a half after waking up. He stared at the ceiling, examining its pinkness. The only thoughts that crossed his mind were how much Xion would have adored this room. She deserved it—unlike a certain princess. But that wasn't the point.

The point was that he needed to be trying to find a way to get out of this place instead of relaxing in this bed. He knew that his sister must have been a wreck at this point. At the same time, he felt obligated to help Claire. She had been so upset lately. But his sister came first.

A collage of thoughts strewed his mind. His initiations felt ignored. He had to find Xion no matter what the cost, but every time he made the step to go find her, Kairi was there to pull him two steps back.

A knock was heard from the door. Sora lifted his head and attached his eyes to the source. It was most likely Kairi trying to barge in. But wouldn't she have been yelling offenses at him by now? He rolled off the mattress and landed on his feet in one swift motion before opening the door.

Sure enough, Kairi was looking at him with dreariness. Her posture was slouched and her expression unidentifiable. She looked tired yet angry, battered yet calm. Perhaps it was another one of those mixtures.

"Uh," Sora murmured uncomfortably. Kairi shoved him out of her way as she trudged towards the bed. She plopped onto the mattress and sunk into it. It felt like a big marshmallow.

Sora stood there, not knowing what to do, awkwardly shutting the door. "Uh—"

"I didn't get very much sleep last night," she interrupted. "That rail is so fucking hard I think my back is gonna be stiff forever."

Sora noticed how she wasn't speaking like she usually did. It seemed like the longer he got to know Kairi, the more she seemed to be more comfortable and eased up on her speech. At this point, she probably didn't care whether or not he saw her as his superior.

"Yeah?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "I was really pissed off because that was the only place to sleep. I tried asking everyone in the castle if I could bunk with them but they were already knocked out. Serah might've let me, but I dare not spend a night with her."

Sora chuckled. He could relate to Kairi's anti-Serah outlook.

"I was angry with you, too." Well, it was only a matter of time. "I thought to myself, how could he just lock me out of my own room and force me to sleep outside with the weather cold and bitter? But then I realized… I can't really speak upon it because I've been doing the same thing to you as well, haven't I?" Sora remained silent. "I'm sorry about that. You've been out there for the past two weeks but you didn't complain. Not once did you come crying to me about having to sleep out in the cold as I treated you like a dog. I have to say, I'm a bit impressed with your patience."

"Well, shit, does the princess actually have… a heart?"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah… anyway, I'm exhausted. I think I'm gonna just sleep in today."

"Yeah, me too, if your mother doesn't need anything."

Kairi felt no need to respond as she got herself comfortable, tucking herself into the covers as a smile twitched onto her lips. The bed hugged her with such warmth. The brunet sighed, realizing there wasn't anything else to say. He was about to make his exit.

"Wait a minute, where are you going now?"

"To the balcony to get some sleep." Where else would he go?

"You can stay here."

Sora froze in his tracks. Did she offer him to sleep beside her? No way, she probably meant on the floor or something. Maybe she was so tired she wasn't even paying attention to her words.

"Uh, you sure?"

"I can't allow my guardian to respite out on that rigid rail. I need you strong so that you can help my mother. And you can't gain strength as easily unless you have the proper rest."

"So, I can get in the bed?"

"It's an order."

This was surreal. What happened to the space time continuum? He always figured the fact that he and Kairi hated each other was practically one of the Ten Commandments. He couldn't complain. He didn't mind getting some extra rest.

He slipped into the covers as the uncomfortable level rose to the top of the meter. Kairi was in the same predicament, but she didn't dare admit to it. Sora twiddled his thumbs as his eyes repeatedly darted to her. Her back was turned towards him. Kairi's eyes shifted in all different types of directions on the other side. The two of them just kept to themselves for what felt like hours.

"Uh, Kairi—" Sora said, breaking the long awaited silence. "Are you asleep?"

She waited a long five seconds to respond. "No."

"Oh. Okay."

Sora decided he might as well get some leisure out of this as he placed his palms behind his head and stared at the ceiling like he had earlier, before Kairi knocked.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hm?"

"What is it like out in Radiant Garden?"

He lifted a single brow. "You're asking me? It's your town, isn't it?"

"The life of a princess doesn't allow me to explore the town at my own free will. I've only been out into town about three times, all of which were when as I was so young I barely remember anything. And at the time, I was inside of a stagecoach most of the time. I've never… seen the town at my own pace before. I've never gotten to see things like the way you have."

"Sounds like a real bitch."

"It is."

"So you've never really seen Radiant Garden before?"

"Basically, yes. I'm just being envious, but what is it like?"

Sora took a minute to formulate his response. "Some areas are a little grimy and definitely not something I think you'd be into. But there's another side to Radiant Garden. It's always bustling with busy people. Hours on Market Street can be stressful. The people are assholes, but at the same time, you can't hate 'em either. It's like—one big family, you know? We get on each other's nerves a lot and try to outwit each other, but at the end of the day, we all share the same community. And we'll be there for each other when the time calls for it."

Kairi longed for an environment such as that. To think, it was under her nose the entire time her authority had constantly restricted her natural desires.

"Is it hard not being out in the streets?"

Sora chuckled. "No, I prefer this castle than being out there any day. But a visit to my becoming never hurts either. I can't forget where I came from."

"I see." She heard the nostalgia in his tone. "By the way, locking me out of my room doesn't go without its punishments. You're cooking for me after we get done resting."

"Okay," Sora responded. "But you realize I'm not gonna do that, right?"

She sighed, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "I know."

They sat in silence for another two minutes until Sora broke it.

"Hey, you think you might let me go see my sister?"

A frown immediately caressed her lips. "No. Not now, not ever."

Sora followed the suit, but he tried not to get too heated. "And why is that?"

"Because…" she trailed.

She was acting like an eleven year old. "Because what?"

"I have my reasons. Who are you to question them?"

He sat up. "I have every right to question them because it involves my sister. My family. My blood."

She bit her lip. "Quit being so overdramatic. I'm sure your sister is fine."

"That's not even the point. She's my sister, and I want to see her. I want to make sure she's provided for. I mean, can't we bring her here or something? What's one more person gonna hurt?"

Kairi sat up as well and presented Sora with an appalled expression. "No way! First of all, having her stay here isn't even my decision. And secondly, if she's anything like you, I'll save myself the headache. Two dirty street rats are quite enough, thank you very much."

"But you'd like Xion. She's nice, funny, and she's always looking to find the best in people. Basically, everything that you're not."

Kairi stuck out her tongue. "She sounds disgusting. Why would I like someone who's apparently nothing like me?"

Sora shrugged with a smirk. "Opposites attract."

She raised a brow. "If that were the case, I think you and I would be in love."

He placed a hand by her neck as he moved his face towards her, subtracting their proximity. His mischievous smirk sent a wave of tingles down her spine as he breathed into her neck. "Is that a confession?" he whispered.

Kairi just learned something.

Sora had the ability to turn into a sexy beast in the matter of seconds.

She almost gave into his words before she realized he was most likely just messing around and had no intentions of doing anything with her. It wasn't like she liked him or anything, but she admitted that he was attractive. She placed her hands onto his chest and shoved him back. He chuckled in good humor.

"That was gross!"

"You know you liked it."

"You wish I liked it."

Sora rolled his eyes. He decided not to even bother mentioning the blush on her cheeks because she'd only try to find some type of contradiction anyhow. "But you gotta let me see my sister. I mean, I feel like society just took her away from me. I only want her back to know that she's safe."

"Let her go, Sora. You need to learn how to trust her."

"I do trust her. I just…" he closed his eyes, just thinking of all of the potential dangers she may have had to face all alone without her big brother to support her. And that's just assuming she was still alive. For all he knew, she may have been in some sort of mishap by now. "You have to let me see her."

"I can't!" She crossed her arms and turned her head the other way.

Sora didn't want her to get set off, so he gently placed his hand onto her shoulder. "Then, can you at least tell me why?"

"Because…" her lips trembled, "because, if I let you go—you would never come back."

"Wouldn't that be your dream come true?"

"No, you fucktarded fucker! You're my chosen guardian for a reason, and I want protection!" She sighed as she was finally able to let that out. "Besides…"

He looked at her with anticipation.

"It's not like… I hate you or anything."

His eyes widened to the declaration. Sound the bells, the horns, the sirens, everything! Kairi did not hate him? Since when? And why hadn't there been a ceremony to celebrate Kairi's retraction of bitchiness?

"But don't misunderstand me, I still don't like you as a person, but… I can't say I hate you either. As much as I loathe to admit it, you have opened me up to ideas that I haven't even considered."

"What do you mean?"

"What you said about equality that day in the dungeon—it stuck with me. I've been trying to work a little bit harder on that."

"Really? Haven't noticed." That wasn't sarcasm.

"Shut up. These things take time, okay? Besides, I let you in my bed. That's a step forward, right?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. I appreciate that you're trying to be an actual human being and not a goddess."

"I never thought I'd be in a bed side by side with a street rat, but at least you shower."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you think the poor just sit around in their own filth or something?" She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. "You know what? Don't even answer that."

Her expression grazed into a more vulnerable depiction. "You must really hate me, huh? That's probably why you want to leave so badly. I suppose I can't blame you."

"Oh come on, give me more credit than that. I don't hate you. I mean, I don't like you at all—and you're still a straight up bitch to me. But I don't hate you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you've proven that you at least have some heart."

"I see…"

"But you aren't going to let me leave, are you?"

With the way she had been treating him, he'd be smart not to come back. But at the same time, just looking into his eyes, she could tell he missed his sister and dreadfully longed for her. After all that they had been through in just a couple of weeks, saying no would feel out of place.

"I-I—I suppose it'd be okay."

Sora bounced out of the bed, cheering and fist pumping the air like a maniac. Kairi giggled a little bit at Sora's reaction but hid her smile as well as she could. She turned to look at the window but her eyebrows rose as she felt lips smooch her cheek. She turned back around to see Sora backing away from her with a big grin.

"Thank you so much! You're so awesome!"

"S-Sure…" she said as a shade of red faded onto her cheeks. She wanted to touch the tender spot so badly, but she didn't need Sora thinking that she enjoyed the kiss. Not that she did.

Sora hurried towards the door. He stopped himself, and looked back at Kairi, who returned staring out of the window that led to the backyard garden.

"Hey, I know a way to prove to you that I will come back."

She was skeptical. "And how is that?"

"Come with me."

Shocked by his answer, she turned to him waiting for further explanation. "What?"

"Come on, I know you want to. You can disguise yourself as a peasant and we can go out into the town." He walked up to her and placed an arm around her shoulder with a firm grip. "I can show you around the town and introduce you to my sister."

"Y-You'd do that?"

"Of course," he smirked. "After what you told me earlier—shit, I have to."

She nodded quickly. "O-Okay!" She jumped up from the bed and began moving around frantically. "I have to find something to wear! I have to get my hair messed up so that I can get categorized as a peasant! I need to tone down on the makeup! Oh gosh, oh gosh!"

He never realized how much this meant to her. Sora awkwardly backed out of the room, but the smirk never left his face. He walked out and shut the door behind him as he placed his back against the door.

This was it. After weeks of waiting, the nights of no sleep due to the guilt—he was finally going to see his sister.

"Yes."

* * *

**This chapter has been edited as of 10/30/14. **

**Working on Chapter 11 right now! **

**So yeah, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Review, fav, follow, all that jazz and thank you for taking the time to check out my work! Much love to everybody who's already been faving, following, and reviewing! I appreciate the support! **


	11. Radiant Garden

"So what you're saying is that it's a date?" Serah asked, distraught.

Sora rolled his eyes. He was leaned against Kairi's door with his arms crossed, waiting for her to get dressed in the clothes she had imported by the servants. How they came across such raggedy clothes was beyond him. A backpack clung onto his shoulders, full of provisions.

"It's not a date," Sora insisted. "We're just going out into town for a few hours while Claire and Hope are out patrolling for heartless on the town's perimeter. It's nothing to get worked up over."

"Dude." Riku had his back leaned against the wall parallel from the brunet, his arms crossed in a similar manner, and a casual smirk. "You're taking the princess out for a night on the town. Just you two—alone. It's a date."

Serah looked at Sora as if she felt betrayed. "Sora, how could you? I thought we had something special!"

An adolescent harbored by contradicting denial—a target to pester with all teenagers. "Look, I know you guys are just trying to get on my nerves, but it's not a date. Honestly, my main priority is getting to Xion. I have to make sure she's alright."

Riku scoffed. "So I guess the fact that you're taking a beautiful girl out, also known by an itty bitty title as the _princess _of Radiant Garden—doesn't hold any weight to this whatsoever?"

"I'm glad we're finally eye to eye."

Serah puffed. "Well, I think this is stupid. How come you never invited _me _on a date?"

Why bother correcting her? "Because I don't like you."

Talk about being blunt. Serah's heart broke in an instant. She dropped her jaw before silently making her way back into her room with glassy eyes. Sora and Riku showed no signs of sympathy. She'd get over it in ten minutes at the most anyway.

"Slut," Riku mumbled. "Anyway, does that imply that you like Kairi since you invited her?"

Back to square one. "Can't say I do. But the fact that she never got to see anything beyond the palace walls is a crime. She should be free to make her own decisions by now."

"Hm, so is it that you feel—compassionate?"

"No. I can just relate."

"Her folks probably won't be very happy with you taking their daughter out into town without their consent. If they catch you, you're dead."

"They won't catch us. They're all the way out by the town's perimeter with dozens upon dozens of soldiers. That alone should give us enough time."

"Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"You won't have to worry about that."

A knock was heard from the other side of the door. "I'm coming out," Kairi's stifled voice announced.

Sora backed out of the way as the door swung open. In the frame, revealed Kairi dressed in a tan tank top that was cut midway to show off her belly. She had some brown pants that were bloated around the end. Some high heels clasped her feet. Her hair was tied into a bun.

"What do you think?"

"May I speak, your Highness?" Riku asked. She nodded. "You make a pretty hot peasant, Princess."

With a smirk, she struck a pose. "I know. But your confirmation hasn't gone unnoticed." She detected Sora inquiring her as if he were evaluating his model for a portrait. "What is it? Do I look good?"

"Yeah," Sora admitted nonchalantly. Kairi was surprised at his effortless verification. "A bit too good. You look less like a peasant, and more like someone modeling as a peasant."

Kairi's shoulders shrunk.

"You complaining, man?" Riku jeered from the side.

"Yes. She needs to look like a real peasant."

"And just how do I do that?" Kairi exclaimed.

He stepped up to her and examined her body. She looked decent enough—but it wasn't going to cut for the Radiant Garden public. He pulled the band out of her hair, causing her bun to unravel into a messy frill of tresses. Her jaw dropped.

"What did you do that for?"

"You want to look like peasant or not," he shot back. She puffed at her bangs as she crossed her arms like a child who had been scolded by her parent for eating the last cookie out of the jar. "Lose the high heels," he demanded. She chose not to argue and did as told, leaving her feet naked. Sora proceeded to examine her and stroked his chin.

Riku slapped Sora on his scalp. "Well, genius, how about we remedy the fact that the princess is going out into town. People will obviously recognize her."

"Okay, first of all," Sora said, getting into diva mode, "you do _not _hit me upside the head. Do it again, and be sure that you'll lose a limb."

Riku cowered back with his arms upheld.

"But you're right," Sora admitted. "We need to disguise you somehow."

Kairi crossed her arms. "Well, how the hell do we do that?"

"How about a wig?" asked a familiar light voice. The trio turned to their right to see Naminé smiling at them graciously. In her hand, she held a wig. It was cut short.

"Maid? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be cleaning the cockpit or something?"

Naminé did her best to maintain her smile. "I heard about what you guys were going to do. I decided I'd lend a hand. Here's a wig I found in her Majesty's drawer while cleaning it yesterday."

Riku took the wig from Naminé. "What the hell is the Queen doing with this?"

"She used to have to go undercover a lot. She's kind of—an unofficial spy."

Sora snaked an arm around Naminé and turned their backs to Riku and Kairi. "Why are you helping us?" he whispered.

Naminé rolled her eyes. "Do you have to question me every time I do something nice for you?"

"Yes. Did I not make it clear that I'm fully aware of the fact that you only help others when it's of your benefit?"

"You make me sound like a witch."

"I don't think you want me to retort on that statement."

Naminé sighed. "Fine. I just needed the place to myself for a little while. You and Kairi are conveniently leaving right when I need you to. So, I'm trying to get you two closet lovers out of my hair."

"Why do you want to get us out of the palace?"

"I just have some cleaning to catch up on and I would prefer if the princess wasn't around. She's always getting in the way of things."

Was he supposed to believe that? "That's a pretty lame excuse for you to think up of, especially for you. I thought you were better than that, Naminé."

Naminé shrugged. "But it's gonna get you out of the house, right?"

"Hey!" Kairi's voice penetrated through their conversation. "Quit dawdling, you two! Sora, did we forget about our plans or would you rather arrange secret dates with the maid?"

Sora and Naminé ignored Kairi's jab and returned to the conversation.

"I don't know what you're setting up, but I'm gonna have my eye on you and whatever scheme you're boiling. Lucky for you, Xion's more important than anything else involving your shenanigans. Consider today a pass—but a fair warning."

Naminé smirked. "Likewise, partner. You have nothing to worry about."

He got the feeling that wasn't the case. Sora and Naminé quickly return to Kairi and Riku before the princess decided to cause any more outbursts. Kairi was tapping her foot with her arms crossed.

"Sorry, we just had some things to review," Naminé said, shifting personalities in a millisecond. Sora was still impressed by that. "Shall we attach the wig, princess?"

Kairi snatched the wig from Riku. "Give me that, you frog!" Naminé and Kairi reentered the princess's room. Kairi slammed the door shut before giving the two boys a scowl.

"What's her problem?" Riku asked with an eyebrow raised.

"She's fine. She just gets cranky real easily. She's not very patient either."

"Really? I never would have guessed." Sora leaned against the wall again.

"I'm about to get impatient if we don't hurry this up. This is taking way longer than it needs to be."

"At least you'll be able to see your sister again."

"Tch, yeah. The only redeeming factor in this entire situation. Being alone with Kairi isn't gonna make this any more fun either."

Riku gave a sympathetic look. "I'd tag along, but honestly, I can't deal with the princess and I don't even understand how you do. I'm sorry, bro…"

"You're a pussy."

The door opened yet again, and this time, Kairi garnered the wig. She had an irritated puffy face as Naminé innocently beamed behind her.

"What do you think?" the blonde asked.

"You actually look nice in that, princess," Riku complimented.

"Whatever," Kairi responded coldly. She cared not for Riku's opinion. He was only a peasant. If anything, she cared more about Sora's opinion than him. Sora was a peasant, but he had an edge to him. She noticed the brunet ogling. Wow, did she really look that good in it?

For Sora, it wasn't that she looked good—it was more so how much she resembled Xion. The only difference was that she was a bit taller than his sister.

"Well?" Kairi asked impatiently.

Sora shook his head, relieving himself of his trance. "It's nothing. Can we just go now?"

"Yes! Please!"

The two simultaneously brushed Riku and Naminé to the side, both anxious to get out of this nuisance castle. They made their way down the hall not uttering a word to each other. They peeked over the railing on the second floor in the main entrance. Merlin had fallen asleep on the King's throne. His body slumped as his hand held up his head subconsciously with his elbow relaxed on the arm rest. Sora and Kairi crouched. He turned towards her and placed a finger to his lips gently, gesturing her to be quiet. If Merlin woke up, he'd surely question their actions.

She nodded in agreement. They silently began tip toeing down the steps, keeping a wide eye directed at Kairi's snoring grandfather. All went well until the final step of which Sora placed his foot upon, which made an obnoxiously loud creaking noise. Sora and Kairi cringed as they noticed Merlin shifting in his sleep. Luckily, he resumed staying still as he slumped his upper body over the arm rest almost completely. Wow, what a wild sleeper.

The two adolescents sighed of relief. Kairi thumped Sora upside the head. He turned around to see her giving him a glare. He _hated _it when someone hit him on his scalp as if he were stupid. He rubbed the tender spot and contemplated if he should do anything about it—but it wasn't worth the risk of getting caught. He just gave her a dirty look before they pressed on. Kairi made sure to skip the loud, obnoxious step before Merlin decided to twist and turn almost threateningly.

They had to be a good thirty feet away from the large door. If they were to hurry this up, they had to get a move on. Sora grabbed Kairi by the wrist and lightly jogged against the red carpet that was directed towards the door. Sora was just glad he didn't have to hear Kairi protest about him touching her. There it was—the door. They were only a few feet away until—

"Ah!" Kairi yelped. She tripped over herself but landed on her knee.

_Shit, _Sora cursed mentally.

Merlin quickly lifted his head, now half awake and alert. "Who's there?!"

The foyer was empty. There wasn't a soul in sight. Merlin shrugged it off and went back to catching z's. He was too tired to even inspect what that sound was. Nor did he care as he drifted back off into slumber.

Sora and Kairi were on the other side of the door. Their backs lined up against it.

"That was impressive," Kairi admitted. "The way you were able to pick me up and zip out of the door without making a sound. How'd you learn how to do that?"

Sora took off his backpack and kneeled down to check for the container of water he filled earlier. "When you've been escaping from the boys as long as I have, you learn a few things."

"Yeah, like how to be a criminal."

He didn't care to respond as he pulled out a silver container. He popped the cap open. Kairi gawked as he drank his refreshment.

"Where did you get that?"

"I filled it up earlier."

"Where's mine?"

"You mean you didn't fill yourself up a container?"

She looked a bit flabbergasted. "N-No—I mean, wasn't that your duty? Why didn't you get me something to drink?"

Sora closed the container as he stood up. "Well, let's see—you have two arms, two legs, I'm assuming a brain is captive in that big ol' forehead of yours too. So, I'm gonna go off a limb and say that maybe if you had done it yourself, you wouldn't have this problem."

"My forehead's not big!"

Really? _That _was what she had to comment on? She was going to be so hopeless. "Well, you want some?" he asked, referring to his water.

"No way! Not after you put your filthy lips on it! That's germs!"

"It's not like you'll die or anything."

"How do _you _know?"

Sora shrugged. "Fine, if you want to die of thirst." He picked up his backpack and began making his way. Kairi stomped to the door.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to go get my own water!"

He tugged on her wrist. "Oh, no you don't. You chose a pretty bad time to wise up. We can't risk your gramps waking up. And we all know about how clumsy you are."

Kairi cupped her ears. "Okay, okay! Shut up already! God!"

Something about getting under her skin was so satisfying. Sora tucked his container into his pocket. "Alright, then. We'd best get a move on."

She crossed her arms. "My forehead isn't really that big, is it?"

She received no answer. Only a teasing smirk before he walked off. "Time's a wastin'."

She had no choice but to follow albeit not looking forward to spending a day with him at all. She shamelessly staggered behind only to find that she didn't even spot Sora ahead of her. She turned her head to the right. She spotted him looking up at the palace walls with his gears going into full throttle. She caught up with him.

"What are you doing?"

"We need to get over these walls. Got any ideas?"

"Don't look at me. You're supposed to be the resourceful one."

Sora's shoulders shrunk. "Gee, look at how much help you are."

She stuck her tongue out at him. He resumed looking for a way out. The palace walls were pretty heightened. They could just go through the main gate but the guards wouldn't allow them to pass. They had to sneak out the back way.

Sora's eyes set themselves on a nearby tree just up ahead of him. He took his backpack off and handed it to the princess. "Hold this," he demanded.

She looked at it with disgust. "No way!"

He shoved the backpack into her possession. The weight of it heaved her to the ground. She hadn't lifted a finger her entire life so this backpack that weighed about five pounds felt like an anchor to her. Sora wanted to puke at how much of a prissy weakling she was.

He returned his attention to the branch that overlooked the ground before him. He bent his knees before he sprung himself all the way up to the stem, grasping it with his palms. The branch began slowly lifting Sora. He had to move fast. "Hand me the bag!"

Kairi did her best to throw it, and it barely touched the tip of Sora's fingers. The brunet figured as such would happen and he clutched the bag before it was too late. He then threw it over the walls so that it was on the other side.

"Now give me your hand."

Kairi stretched her arm out to reach for him.

"Hey!"

It was one of the guards. A collective of them began running towards the two attempting fugitives.

"Where do you two think you're going? The Queen wouldn't like it if we just let you waltz out of here!"

Kairi was dumbstruck. How could they have found out? Somebody must have squealed. Was it Serah?

"Come on, you idiot, take my hand!" Sora's voice brought her out from la la land. She whisked around and seized his hand gently. He didn't hesitate to get a much stronger hold of her. His grip was soft yet firm. He lifted her up so that he could grab hold of her waist. He held her tight against his body before he used all of his strength to power his way over the walls with Kairi in his arms.

The two landed over the walls. Sora took the brunt of the fall, landing on his bottom with Kairi in his possession. The pain from the collapse quickly shot all the way up his spine. Kairi's back rested on his knees as he still held her tight due to trying to settle the painful impact of the plummet. Kairi opened an eye. She didn't even care about the position they were in—she cared more about getting them the heck away from there. Sora released his arms from her body as he leaned back against the barricades.

"Shit…"

Kairi patted him against the cheek. "Come on, we don't have time to relax!"

She was right. Kairi got off of his lap as he stood up. He swung the backpack around his shoulder as he took her by the hand once again before they sprinted off. They could hear the guardsmen protest.

They crossed a mini bridge that would officially lead them into Radiant Garden. The familiar sight of the rundown, generally white buildings brought back a fresh sense of nostalgia to Sora. The scent of paint and fresh fruit enticed his nostrils. It was good to be back.

However, he couldn't bask in its glory just yet. They had to get a decent distance away from the castle first. Kairi was in tow with Sora's feet. She examined the structure of the town. The further they went, the more people became present. They stopped, realizing that even if the guards were chasing them—it'd take them a while with the town in such a busy mood. They'd just blend in with the atmosphere.

"Huh," was all Kairi could say as they finally had time to breathe. She studied every inch of her surroundings. "This is amazing… I've never gotten to really see the town in this light…"

He smirked at her. "What's with that stupid smile on your face?"

Was she smiling? She didn't even notice. She awkwardly coughed as she tried maintaining her solemn appearance. "I don't know what you're talking about," she murmured.

Sora did his best to keep his eyes away from her. She looked too much like Xion for her own good. But on the bright side, Kairi's appearance reminded him why he had butterflies in his stomach. He was finally going to see her again. He had to make sure she was safe. All Sora could do was pray to God that she was still alive.

She tapped him on his shoulder. "Where's your sister?" she asked.

"Why do you care?"

"You talk so highly of her, I must admit, my curiosity has been aroused."

"It's too bad that she should be all the way across town. It'll take us half an hour to get to her."

"Half an hour?" Kairi sounded pretty bummed. "That'll take forever."

"Whatever it takes, then. I haven't been able to see my sister in weeks. I don't care if it's a two hour long walk. I'm going to see her. You can either stay in town or do your own little exploring, but I'm off."

He could barely make a step before—

"Wait! You wouldn't just leave me all alone, would you?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "You saying you _want_ to spend time with me?"

"No way! B-But I mean I'll get lost if I'm all by myself…"

And whose problem was that? Not his. "Then stick with me. But we're going to go find Xion."

She had no choice. She would have rather had explored the town a bit more. Maybe Sora might have given her a tour. His sister could wait, couldn't she? Keeping up with Sora had its struggles. It was quite teeming, especially since they were in the Market District.

Kairi was continuously bumped from side to side throughout many strong bodies. She tried to keep herself calm, remembering that these people didn't see her as the princess she really was. But it was annoying for them to carelessly make contact with her like that. The fact that they were peasants made it all the more disgusting. If she still had the appearance of a princess she bet they wouldn't be tossing her around so hastily.

A rotund individual lost a little bit of his balance and accidentally bumped his belly onto Kairi. The princess ended up tumbling over.

"Oh, I'm really sorry darling," the man apologized.

Kairi stood herself up while dusting off her attire. "Watch where you're going!" She darted her eyes up ahead to see a familiar-looking backpack. She quickly ran through the crowd to catch up with him. She walked behind him steadily. He didn't even notice that she wasn't even there for a second, the big idiot. His mind must have been really set on his sister. She supposed she could understand why he was so anxious. If she had been separated from her father for weeks without her consent, she'd be pretty upset too. She almost felt like apologizing for keeping him away from someone he obviously held a strong connection with.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she ended up bumping into Sora's back. He turned to her.

"Could you be any clumsier today?" he asked, slightly annoyed. It made sense, though. She wasn't used to doing _anything. _Her whole life she had been spoon fed, so for her to actually be active must have been a little awkward for her. No wonder she couldn't hold his backpack.

He decided to leave his rhetorical question without a response as he turned back around. They were standing in an alleyway and Kairi noticed the strangers surrounding them. Their attention had been magnetically pulled towards something ahead. She was pretty short compared to them, so she ended up having to stand on her tippy toes just to get a glimpse.

It was a parade. A gathering of instrumentalists marched down the street in rows, dancers performed right in front of the sidewalk, and a stir of excitement filled the air.

"Oh man, I can't believe I forgot that it was today," Sora said to himself.

"What is this?" Kairi asked Sora.

"They're presenting the Radiant Garden festival."

"Radiant Garden festival?"

"Today's the anniversary of Radiant Garden's establishment. Every year they have a festival dedicated to this day."

Kairi thought to herself as the parade ended—allowing all members of the public to fill the streets with participants of the Radiant Garden festival. Why had she never heard of such a festival? Perhaps it was because she constantly defied the possibilities of attending anything related to Radiant Garden if she were not allowed proper freedom. If it was anyone's fault, it was her own.

She lifted her head to see that Sora was already entering the fray. Couldn't that boy wait for just one measly second? She hurried herself to catch up. Sora's eyes were lost in an assortment of games and booths that surrounded him.

Kairi tugged on Sora's arm. "Can you not just walk away like that?"

"If you would just pay attention every once in a while instead of zoning out every five seconds—"

"How dare you use that tone with me!"

The two stop when they hear a gruff chuckle. They look to the side to see a musty old man staring at them inside one of the booths. "Ha! You guys're like an old married couple! Bickerin' 'bout nothin'. Just like me and my wife."

"Uh, yeah…" Sora said awkwardly, not really concerned about whatever this guy was spewing. "Well, we'll be on our way now."

"Hold yer horses!" he chirps. "How's about you try out this little pastime here? Knock down all three of these of bottles with this 'ere ball, and you win a plushie!"

Sora didn't have time for this. He had a sister to go find. The fact that he allowed himself to be distracted up to even this small amount wasn't good. "No thank you, sir. We're—" Sora stopped when he noticed Kairi gaping at one of the plushie dolls. It was white and stubby. Its eyes seemed like they were closed and a string aroused at the top of its head where a red ball rested. Another big pink ball was used as its nose.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything so _cute!_"

Sora knew where this was going. Who knew Kairi had an innocent side to her? Nonetheless, this was all filler. They needed to get a move on. "Come on, Kai. We need to get going."

She turned to him. The twinkles in her eyes were about to make Sora implode. "But _Sora," _she cooed. "It's _so _cute!"

"It's a doll with a fat ass nose! What the hell is so cute about it?!" He pinched in between his eyes with frustration.

The man chuckled. "That's the Moogle doll. It's pretty popular with the girls, whether they're little kids or teenagers."

How annoying. Sora understood that this man was just doing his job but, "Kairi—no."

"But—"

"NO."

"Sora, you're starting to piss me off…"

"I honestly don't care."

Kairi marched over to him and yanked him by the ear. "Listen here frog, this may be the only time I'll ever be able to spend time outside of the castle walls freely, so you had better fucking get me that damn Moogle doll before I kick your scrawny ass!"

Despite lacking strength voluntarily, Kairi could pack a punch whenever irritated. If he wanted to get going, the best thing to do would be to just give it a shot and get it over with. Trying to squirm his way out of it would just waste more time. Sora gave in as he shoved Kairi to the side.

"Fine!" He turned to the salesman. "I want a shot for the Moogle."

"I knew you couldn't resist. That'll be ten munny."

The two immediately gulped. "Munny?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, no shit."

"But uh—we don't have any on us," Sora hummed. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hm, that so? Sorry kid. Can't let ya participate."

Kairi hit Sora upside the head. Again. "You idiot! How could you forget to tell me to get some munny!"

"Oh, _sorry,_" he replied sarcastically. "I would have thought the munny business would have been in your department, _princess_!" Sora figured it was safe for him to still call her princess. People would most likely just take it as his pet name towards her and not consider that she's actually the princess.

"You. Are. Infuriating!"

Sora groaned. This was going to be a long day. Sora walked ahead and Kairi wordlessly followed behind. Sora stopped in the middle of the road and began observing the area. Kairi didn't know what he was doing, nor did she care enough to bother asking so she just sat tight and waited for his instruction.

His instruction? Was she going soft? Since when did a peasant ever tell her what to do? Sure, it was more of his environment—his world—so naturally he'd be best fit to take the role of the leader, but still.

"Hey," he said as he pulled her out of her thoughts. "It's way too crowded down here, so we're gonna have to head up top."

She raised a brow. "What do you mean by that?"

Sora pointed upwards. "We need to go on the rooftops. It'll be much faster that way."

"What is this? The jungle?"

"You rather walk around town with a bunch of lowly peasants instead?"

She sighed. "Fine. But for the record, you are the worst tour guide ever."

Sora began mindlessly walking forward, not paying attention to what was in front of him. "Sticks and stones." He ended up bumping into someone. They had on a black coat.

"Sorry, dude," Sora said. He squinted. "Have we met before?"

The mysterious figure didn't respond. He only shook his head as he ran through the crowd without a word.

"What was that all about?" Kairi asked.

"That's Radiant Garden in a nutshell. You never know what to expect."

Lest did the two teenagers know, they were being watched. Nearby one of the food stands stood a man wearing a white dress shirt and silver hair.

* * *

A knock was heard from the door in the main foyer. Merlin didn't even bother shifting from its sound waves as he slept obnoxiously on the throne. Naminé came running out of the kitchen holding onto her dress quick and quiet so that the wizard didn't hear. She opened the door to reveal a man in a black coat waiting for her—his face discarded deep within the hood.

"It's about time you showed up," Naminé said as the black coat walked inside. He didn't respond as he ran his way upstairs. "Hey!" Naminé locked the door. She sprinted into the kitchen to turn off the faucet.

Naminé tiptoed out of the kitchen, making sure she didn't wake Merlin up from his post, and hastily made her way upstairs. Once she reached the second floor, the mysterious man stood there waiting for her with his arms crossed.

Naminé frowned. "You know, you can be quite the handful, you know that?"

He shrugged.

"Well, at least you were able to make it."

The two of them heard footsteps coming from the hall down the left. It was Riku, and he had Flame beside him. Naminé grabbed the black coat's hand and began running the other way before the silver headed boy could spot them.

"It's just around the corner," she said.

They turned the corner. Naminé stood in front a door with a bold label titled **Kairi Estheim** located on the front. She dug in her pockets until she found a key. She unlocked the door and entered, pulling the black coat in as well. Without hesitation, she locked the door once again. She let out a restricted breath. "Finally…"

The black coat examined the room. He hadn't been there in such a long time; the area was almost foreign to him. Naminé came up from behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his back.

"What's wrong? You seem a little overwhelmed."

He had every right to be.

"Let me see your face…" Naminé requested. She walked to the front of him so that she could pull his hood down. Under that hood revealed a boy no older than sixteen. He had spiky golden blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. His expression wore melancholy. "Roxas—sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I can't do this, Naminé," he finally spoke. "Not in her room."

"You have a better place in mind? I don't have the key to any other rooms."

"Yeah, but… this just seems a little underhanded, don't you think? It's bad enough we did this once."

"Look," Naminé said with a stern face. "Kairi is _never _gone from home these days. This is a golden opportunity to spend some time together. We may not ever get a chance like this again."

"You make it sound like we have the house all to ourselves or something."

"I wish. Then we _wouldn't _have to be in here."

Roxas chuckled, but it wasn't a happy one. "I'm terrible. Look at me, I'm with the girl of my dreams and yet I feel miserable because the only place we can be together is in the room of the girl I was supposed to marry."

Roxas sat down on Kairi's bed, his eyes attached to the carpet below him. Naminé sat with him. "The heart wants what the heart wants."

"How has Kairi been?"

"Well," Naminé trailed. She didn't want to tell him that she turned into a total bitch ever since what he did to her.

"It's not good, huh?" He looked so hopeless… remorseful. "I never should have done that to her."

"I think she's gotten over you. It's just that the anger remains inside of her. On the bright side, she does have someone else."

"Someone else?" Roxas asked. "Is he a lover?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Far from it. But I have a feeling that he's just what she needs to help turn her back into her old self. You know, before you fucked her up."

"I didn't ask for your clarification."

Naminé giggled.

"So, what's this guy like?"

Naminé rolled her eyes just thinking about Sora, but the smile never left her face. "He's stubborn, rude, doesn't take crap from anybody, and he's probably given Kairi the most stress she's ever had in just a couple of weeks."

"He's sounds like a riot."

"He is. Even with all of that, he's very smart, especially for someone of his background. He even saw through me every time I tried to fool him. He's pretty down to earth, but don't piss him off either."

"Where is this guy?"

"He's the reason why we get to have this alone time. He took Kairi with him to go find his sister. He's a colleague of mine, even though he doesn't seem to trust me. But I love talking to him. He's the only one worth having a conversation with in this castle. But only when you're not around, baby."

"Nice recovery," Roxas smirked.

She chortled. "He actually reminds me of you. Come to think of it, you two look very similar."

"It's probably just a coincidence. It's a small world, am I right?"

"The fact that you said it's just a coincidence probably means it's anything but a coincidence."

"It's not like I have any brothers or sisters. At least, none that I'm aware of." Roxas raked a hand through his hair. "So, what's this guy like when he's around Kairi? Sounds to me like they don't get along very well."

She tapped her chin. "Well, they actually claim they hate each other. And they do, but… they're… what's the word?" Sora and Kairi did hate each other, but not as much as they tried to let on. If they hated each other so much, then why would they even bother spending the whole day together? Deep down there was something there. It had to be. "They're close."

"Close, huh?" Roxas said as he scratched his hair. "I just hope this guy has what it takes to repair the damage I've done on Kairi. She didn't deserve that."

Naminé rested her arm on his shoulder. He glanced at her to see her giving him a slight smile. It was her way of telling him that it was all going to be okay.

"Naminé," he husked. He felt like he hadn't properly seen her beautiful face in so long. He closed in with his mouth slightly parted and she didn't hesitate to return the favor until they crashed lips. After what had been what felt like forever, they were finally back together.

Their kisses were stimulated with emotion. Tongues slipped in and out. Their body temperature became one. Naminé took the bonnet out, letting her hair fall freely. She tossed the bonnet to the side as if it were the most unimportant thing in the world to her. As they mutually deepened their kiss, Naminé slowly unzipped Roxas's black coat. She didn't even get to the halfway mark before he stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

Roxas began giving her a trail of kisses down her neck, rewarded with moans and signals of her pleasures all the while. She could feel his smirk.

"It's been too long since we've last done this, Nami…"

She moaned again—which was her way of agreeing with him. Roxas began discreetly pulling down her shoulder sleeves. Her cleavage was beginning to tease him. Both of her shoulders were now exposed, he pulled back for a second to get a quick look.

The sight of her was amazing. It was as if she were glowing. That sultry expression on her face only did more to get him going.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked playfully. "I want you."

Roxas immediately realized what he was doing and stopped himself. He stood up from the bed and covered his eyes with the palm of his hand. Naminé silently cursed to herself. She was way too horny for her own good right now, and it was going to kill her if she didn't get off soon. But she understood what kind of conflict Roxas had to be going through.

"I can't do this, Naminé. Not in her room. It's just—it's—it's not right."

"So, what? You come all this way and you can't even make love to me?"

He groaned. "Can't we at least go into the basement or something? Loving you is not what's killing me—it's the environment."

Naminé stood behind him. "Roxas, this is the only chance we get. We have to take advantage of it."

To him, he had no right to be in this castle. He had no right to be in her room and especially not with Naminé. He was dishonoring them every step he took. Here he was with a beautiful girl, a soft, comfortable bed at his disposal—but did he deserve it? No.

How could he have betrayed Kairi like that? He never thought he would have had it in him, but like Naminé said—the heart wants what the heart wants. His heart desired the maid, it _longed _for her. The only way to keep himself from going crazy was to run away and never come back so that he could find his light.

But with every light, there was a darkness lurking. Roxas had stress to relieve himself of, and Naminé was willing to partake as his stress reliever. Would he really pass up that opportunity?

Consider this his final act of selfishness.

He turned around and locked lips with Naminé once again. The two proceeded back to the bed where they fell atop of softly. Their lips didn't part as they worked with each other's clothes, attempting to peel them off.

Naminé unzipped his long black coat at last, and didn't hesitate to grab him by his crotch, gently rubbing against his manhood. God, he was so ready. Roxas threw his coat away carelessly, leaving him in only black tights. He practically ripped Naminé's maiden dress open to get to her undergarments. She had no bra, but her panties were dormant on her—white and moist. Roxas kicked off his boots as he and Naminé slid under the covers, the boy on top. They parted lips and stared at each other one last time.

"Roxas," she breathed. "I love you so much."

He smirked. "I love you too, fella."

She hit him against the chest playfully before they resumed their clash of kisses.

"_Why are you helping us?" he whispered. _

_Naminé rolled her eyes. "Do you have to question me every time I do something nice for you?" _

"_Yes. Did I not make it clear that I'm fully aware of the fact that you only help others when it's of your benefit?" _

"_You make me sound like a witch." _

"_I don't think you want me to retort on that statement." _

_Naminé sighed. "Fine. I just needed the place to myself for a little while. You and Kairi are conveniently leaving right when I need you to. So, I'm trying to get you two slow pokes out of my hair." _

"_Why do you want to get us out of the palace?" _

"_I just have some cleaning to catch up on and I would prefer if the princess wasn't around. She's always getting in the way of things." _

_Was he supposed to believe that? "That's a pretty lame excuse for you to think up of, especially for you. I thought you were better than that, Naminé." _

_Naminé shrugged. "But it's gonna get you out of the house, right?" _

"_Hey!" Kairi's voice penetrated through their conversation. "Quit dawdling, you two! Sora, did we forget about our plans or would you rather plan secret dates with the maid?" _

_Sora and Naminé ignored Kairi's jab and returned to the conversation. _

"_I don't know what you're planning, but I'm gonna have my eye on you and whatever scheme you're boiling. Lucky for you, Xion's more important than anything else involving your shenanigans. Consider today a pass—but a fair warning." _

_Naminé smirked. "Likewise, partner. You have nothing to worry about."_

_He got the feeling that wasn't the case. Sora and Naminé quickly return to Kairi and Riku before the princess decided to cause any more outbursts. Kairi was tapping her foot with her arms crossed. _

"_Sorry, we just had some things to review," Naminé said, shifting personalities in a millisecond. Sora was still impressed by that. "Shall we attach the wig, princess?" _

_Kairi snatched the wig from Riku. "Give me that, you frog!" Naminé and Kairi reentered the princess's room. Kairi slammed the door shut before giving the two boys a scowl. _

_Kairi let out a sigh. "Let's get this over with." _

"_Of course, princess." Naminé went into her pocket and pulled out a bald cap. She handed it to Kairi. "Let me just braid your hair. It'll only take a minute. But wait, I need to get something out of the drawer." _

"_Yeah, yeah, hurry it up, maid." _

_Naminé walked over to Kairi's dresser. She had to get something alright; it was the key to this room that rested atop Kairi's jewelry box. She shoved it down her pocket._

"_Okay, now let's get that hair braided."_

* * *

**No Xion just yet guys but she will be here very soon! I know most of you really want to see her but we just have a little bit more to go before we finally get to see her again. **

**Assuming that we do O_O **

**I had to end up splitting this into two chapters. If I didn't, this chapter would have been a million years long. But I should be able to get the next one out very soon because I'm gonna start on it tonight, I promise!**

**Shoutout time! **

**Shoutout to three of my friends on this site: **

**KittyKat1217 (she claims she invented the fucktarded fucker line I had last chapter -_- bitch)**

**Princess-Xion **

**blissfulnightrain - Go check out her story, guys! It's called "A Date with my Best Friend's Sister(s)" It's a pretty good story and funny too! Here's the summary: **

Everyone's busy this Saturday night, except Riku. The girl he's been seeing, Sora's sister, is stuck babysitting. Looks like it's going to be a night alone. That is, until Sora comes up with a suggestion:"Just go to my house and surprise her...Maybe pick up some flowers or something for her on the way. Girls love that romantic crap. I'm sure my sister does, too!" AUish/Riku POV.

**So yeah, please fav, follow, and review! I thank everybody who's been supporting me and this story so far! **


	12. One Step at a Time

"Stand your ground, men! Be ready for anything," Hope demanded as he walked down the row of his honorary soldiers. They were lined up against the walls that protected Radiant Garden. There had to be a few dozen of them. "Keep your eyes and ears alert at all times. Master Xehanort is an unpredictable man, and he will do anything to get what he wants."

"Sir," one of the soldiers piped, "do you think that maybe some of us should search the town? If he's that unpredictable like you say he is then perhaps he's already found a way in."

"But that's impossible. We've been on this coast all morning. We would have seen him by now."

"It's better to be safe than sorry."

He had a point. From the last war, Hope learned a very important message about being aware of Master Xehanort. His impulsiveness was frightening. He turned to his wife behind him. "Claire, what do you think we should do?"

Her eyes were blank. The words being tossed into the air went into one ear and out the other. Concerned, Hope walked over to Claire as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Honey, are you okay?"

His voice brought her back to life. "Oh, uh—sorry. I was just… thinking."

"Is everything okay, sweetie?" Hope asked sincerely.

"Yeah, is everything okay, sweetie?" asked a feminine voice that sounded too similar for comfort. Claire turned to her right to see Lightning giving her a twisted smirk. The Queen took a few steps back as she sheltered her eyes.

"Claire? What's wrong?"

Claire looked up from her palms to see Hope standing all alone, worried for good reason. Her hands slid down her cheeks until they reached her sides. "Nothing, I'm just tired. I didn't get enough sleep last night." Keep riding with poor excuses and you'll run into a wall. This hallucination needed to stop. Right now.

"If you're tired, I can have one of my men take you back home."

Back home where she'll be haunted by the images of herself playing mind games? "I'm fine."

"Claire—"

"I said I'm okay!"

Hope raised his hands defensively. "Okay."

Claire raised a hand and placed it on her humid forehead. Her muscles loosened immediately. Her brain banged against her inner walls, as if trying to bust its way out. She collapsed onto ground—Hope and the soldiers immediately surrounded her unconscious body. Hope took her upper body into his arms.

"Claire!"

One of the soldiers beckoned the others back with hand motions. "Stand back, men! Give them some room!"

Hope shook his spouse but her eyes made no reaction. "Claire! Claire, wake up!"

"What do we do, sir?"

Hope sighed. "You won't have to do anything. Merlin might know how to fix this. I'm taking her back home."

* * *

Taking a step can be complicated.

Taking the wrong steps can cause a serious hurdle in ones verve in life itself. It's not talked about much, but stepping on one crack—_one _paltry crack—can cause an abruption of fire to be poured onto an existence, an abundance of evident pain.

There are many types of steps; steps in a relationship, steps in life, steps in jobs—and there are the more literal interpretations such as walking. Taking a step to make sure you don't fall.

The princess could most definitely relate. But she never thought that her philosophy would be within the context of something as ludicrous as this; walking atop numerous buildings that watched over the streets of Radiant Garden with every step.

"This is insanitary!" Kairi complained. She took one glance at the ground below and blood rushed to her head. Despite her fear of heights, the scene up above was actually quite beautiful. The sun was in clear view as the horizon of what seemed to be an endless captivity of rooftops was a sight she never thought she may have one day saw. But here she was, and whether she wanted to admit it or not—she kind of owed it to the boy in front of her.

But did they _have _to run around on the rooftops? This was beyond uncomfortable.

"Sora, you're crazy! How can you be so serene when we're sixty feet in the air?"

Sora stopped once he reached the edge of the building they were scaling across. He turned to her. "You just have to relax."

"Relax?" she asked incredulously. She walked up next to him, taking a look at the faraway pavement down below. Her pupils shrunk. "How can I relax? If I end up tripping over myself, I'm gonna be a big red stain on the pavement for god's sake!"

There was a big gap between them and the next building. Sora spotted a long plank conveniently lying nearby. "If you're not relaxed, you're going to be nervous. And when you're nervous, you're going to end up making some kind of goofy mistake. Only difference is, you make a goofy mistake in this territory—and you're a goner."

"Not helping!"

Sora attempted to pick up the large plank, but it proved to be a two man's job. "Could you give me a hand here?"

"Why should I have to? You're the muscle bound hero, frog."

Sora sighed, accepting his predictable lack of assistance as he used the brunt of his strength to take a hold of the wood until its physique was vertical. Sora set it down so that it reached just across to the next building. Perfect.

"As I was saying," he said as he dusted off his hands, "the key to overcoming fears is to look them straight in the eye and spit in their faces. To do that, you just have to relax." Sora took a few steps back, an adventurously mischievous smirk painted on his face.

Kairi welled up with worry. "Sora… what are you doing?"

He sprinted towards the plank as he hurdled himself into the air with a gravity defying somersault. Kairi watched in amazement as Sora landed on the flat timber in perfect form.

"Sora!" she gasped.

Sora stood up on one foot, his arms spread. "All it takes is one step at a time. Don't think about the bad stuff that can happen—all you have to do is think about the goal. And right now, our goal is to make it across."

"Yeah, but what you just did was borderline suicide!"

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't trying to just showoff back there, but his point still stood. "What I'm getting at is to just let things come to you. Don't worry about it. You can do this."

"But—it's scary…"

"You can't live your life in fear. If that's the case, then what's the point of living?" She remained unsure. Did he truly mean these words or was she being fed bullshit? "Take my hand."

She reluctantly did as told as he pulled her up onto the boardwalk. She staggered for a few moments before he placed his palm atop her head. She gave him a sheepish smile before taking in a few breaths. Just breathe, Kairi… just breathe.

"I think I can do this," she admitted.

He nodded in approval. "Good. Then let's get moving." Sora walked effortlessly across. It was like he was simply walking on the street. Kairi took a peek at down below and let out a high pitched squeal. Don't look down! She extended her arms outward as she made her way across the boardwalk, shutting her eyes. All she heard were the squawks of the birds seeping above her along with the current of the sensitive breeze.

She opened her eyes to be greeted with Sora's façade. "See? I told ya you could do it."

She realized that she was—in fact—officially at the building parallel from where she just was. She never thought she would have had it in her to do something as dangerous as that. The thrill of it was actually quite exhilarating.

"I _did _do it, didn't I? Wow, that was a wild ride! Do you do stuff like that all the time?"

He laughed. "All the time, and then some. This isn't even half of the stuff of what I had to go through. On a scale of one to ten that measured epicness, I'd say what we just did would be about a three."

"A three?" If _that _was a three, she wasn't too delighted to find out what a ten was.

"You need to get out more, princess. You could use the fresh air."

"What do you think I've been trying to tell my parents for the last sixteen years?"

"Well, doesn't matter now, Kairi. I'm here to show you what life's really all about."

"Who gave you permission to call me by my first name, anyway?" He had been doing it all day, and she let it go most of the time—but she didn't want him thinking they were buddies or anything.

He scoffed. "Please. Like I need permission." His smug look made the princess want to punch him in the nose.

"Who do you think you are? Chosen one or not, you're still just a slimy little peasant."

He rolled his eyes. "Just when I thought there might be some hope for you…" he murmured.

She bent over to showcase her ear towards him, gesturing him to speak up. "What was that?" she asked almost threateningly.

He simply shook his head as he turned around and continued pressing on. Kairi whipped her hair back before she followed behind.

* * *

_Dearly Beloved, _

_You fell asleep. Not that I'm surprised. You must be exhausted from having to mop floors all day. Such delicate hands don't deserve such prattle. It was great seeing you again. It's been—what—almost eight months? Communicating with you through letters isn't how I painted our relationship in my head, but this is the reality of it. The days apart from you are like a sweltering heat ray being highlighted onto my heart—I can't take it being away from you. I can't stand it. Sometimes, the only ways I can get some sleep is by looking at the portrait of you that you painted for me. You truly are an amazing artist. I know, I've told you that a million times—but it's well deserved. _

_Anyway, I'm rambling again. Forgive me. It's not easy for me to do this. I really hate that it has to be this way but I can't stay. You know very well why. Obviously, I'll be caught by the King and Queen. I wish I could see them again, just once more so that I could give them my blessings. They were so kind to me, but after what I did to their daughter—they probably don't even want to see my face. My usefulness has grown numb here. Even though nobody except you and I know that I'm here, I can't help but feel unwelcomed. It's a shame that I've been downgraded to such depressing emotions. But I have a goal, and quite frankly, I won't get it by staying here. I've been traveling all over the world, but not a trace of the man I've set out to kill. _

_Master Xehanort. _

_Why am I telling you all of this? You already know how much I loathe him. I can't relax until I've found him—and put an end to him. Perhaps after then, I can finally go home. Perhaps then, I won't have to endure all of this pain. Perhaps then… we can finally be wedded. Especially since you insist that Kairi has moved on, hopefully the guilt will evaporate. But I don't think it will until I see a smile on that girl's face. Only then will I know that it's safe to love you. But not even guilt can keep me from loving you, beautiful. If anyone is a princess, it's you. You are my everything. The day we can truly be together will come, and I swear it on my own soul. But you wouldn't want to marry me now. Not with the way I am. My mind has been corrupted by insecurities and vengeance. I'm a train wreck, plain and simple. I'm in no condition to be romantically involved with anyone right now. The fact that I even came to see you despite how much I'm screwed up in the head is an insult to your exquisiteness and…_

_Maybe I'm just being selfish. I can't tell anymore. Me—the most selfish man in the whole entire fucking world. Catchy, right? It brings an uncomfortable twist to my stomach, too. You know what they say? The truth hurts. But who am I to contrast the difference between the truth and a lie? I'm getting to the point where I don't even know who I am anymore. This little quest of mines may help me find out who it is that I am. That alone will clear up so many dents in our relationship, not that there are many right now. But still, I want to be with you when I can finally let myself go again. I haven't had that feeling since I was a kid, and I hope we can create gorgeous memories once we commit. Until we meet again, I'll spend all of my days loving you. _

_Love, _

_Roxas Hikari _

He placed the pen down on the table. Roxas's face was discarded under his hood. He turned around and saw his lover sleeping soundly on the mattress. He caressed his hand into her wondrous blonde hair. He used the back of his fingers to gently stroke her cheeks. The faint smile on her lips offered him a sensation. He didn't know why, or how, but somehow he was able to make this girl the happiest woman on the planet just by being around her. He didn't know what was so special about him, but he was sure glad to have it.

He lightly kissed her on the lips. Roxas's heart almost exploded into bubbles as her smile grew even wider and clung to his arm, all the while still unconscious. Oh god, how much he wanted to stay by her side right now. It hurt so much to leave, not knowing whether or not he would be able to come back or even see her ever again, but he had to. There would be no point in being in a commitment when he was mentally not ready to commit.

Roxas decided it'd be best to escape out of the back. After gently removing his arm out of Naminé's unaware grasp, he lifted Kairi's window, gave his beloved one last gaze probed with admiration, and swooped his way out into the garden. He rolled over on the grass, making sure none of the guards were in sight. He made his way over to the palace walls. Using the strength that lay in his calf, he was able to practically run over the top of the barrier until he landed on the ground below. He wasted no time returning to Radiant Garden.

* * *

He overlooked the buildings. It seemed that the abandoned library was still a strong twenty minutes away from their current destination. Were they even going the right way at this point? Sora took his backpack off his shoulders. He unzipped it as he began digging his hands throughout it. There had to be a map in there somewhere—he vividly remembered placing one inside.

Behind him, Kairi was standing indolently. Her arms were crossed as her hips cocked to the side a little bit. Her eyes wandered up to the afternoon sky. The sun seemed brighter when actually outside. Kairi had spent so much time indoors that she almost forgot the feeling of being invested into nature's atmosphere. The air gave off a scent of pines. The buzzing of a very obnoxious sounding horse fly disrupted her lackadaisical drift. "Gross!"

Her hands acted as human fly swatters as she whisked her palm all over the place. The insect orbited around her body at such fast succession, she could land a single hit.

Her feet almost subconsciously began walking backwards as her eyes were shut tight, continuously batting her arms around trying to kill that pesky insect. She could still hear its wings drone through the darkness of her eyelids. It was driving her crazy. "Sora! Kill the beast!"

Sora pulled out the map of Radiant Garden, lifting it in triumph. "Gotcha!" He felt Kairi bump into him, catching him off guard. He ended up being pushed forward slightly, allowing his backpack to trip over the edge of the building. "NO!" he cried as he reached his hand out to grab it, but it was too late. The bag began plummeting down to the ground below.

Kairi turned around and looked below to see the backpack all the way at the bottom of the alleyway, the fruit jumbled into one big flat, juicy sludge painted across the pavement. Kairi noticed that the fly made its way off into the sky, as if its job had been completed. "You little bitch…" she muttered.

She turned to her right to be hit with Sora's glare. They had now officially lost all of their refreshments because of her.

"Well, it's not my fault!" the princess protested.

He rolled his eyes. "Really? Well then how exactly is this not your fault? Please, enlighten me!"

She pointed the insect fluttering away from the scene. "It was that thing's fault! It wouldn't leave me alone!"

Sora sighed. "It's just a fly. How does _that _get you so scared that you'd—you know what? Forget it." Arguing was a disruption of his true intentions. It was a guard against the goal of reaching Xion, and at least he still had the map.

Kairi tapped him on the shoulder. "Uh, Sora…?"

He turned around to see her rubbing her stomach, an almost embarrassingly apologetic expression. Oh no, please don't say what he thinks you're going to say!

"Um—I'm hungry."

FUCK!

"You just made me drop all the rations we had. What do you want me to do about it?"

She scoffed. "I don't know—_something. _Aren't you the thief around here?"

That's right, but he figured she wouldn't approve. "You're willing to break the law to get something to eat?"

She shrugged. "If you're as excellent of a thief as you let on, then I have nothing to worry about. Or is it that you've lost your touch?" she teased.

True, he hadn't had to scuff provisions in a few weeks, but it had been a while since he last put his skill to good use. He smirked mischievously. "You're on."

Master Xehanort, still clad in his dress shirt and grey coat, used his eyes to scope the area. This accursed festival hindered him from walking through town as promptly as he would have preferred to. His thorough investigation for a spot to unleash his heartless furtively turned into him desperately keeping his detachment from the annoyingly joyful citizens of the town.

He almost tripped over himself as two little kids—a boy and a girl—zipped past his legs, laughs escaping them. He growled, but decided to not make a scene. These children would be crying tears of fear with what he had in mind.

Xehanort came to a pause when he noticed proverbial spiky hair walking through the town with some girl with raven hair cut short. To say this was convenient was an understatement. He had spotted them earlier, but suddenly lost track of them. Xehanort began checking out something at one of the booths, all the while keeping an eye locked tight on the kid and his little friend.

Sora and Kairi, unaware that they were being watched yet again, ducked behind one of the corners. Sora had his eye on the man by the stand selling anpan. He scouted the area to find anything that might be of his advantage.

"What's taking so long?!" Kairi asked.

This reminded him of the time he let Xion come with him on one of his missions to obtain them something to eat. Except this time he had a massive bitch as his associate. "Rule number one, you've got to learn patience."

She groaned. "Telling someone to have patience is an excuse to waste time! I'm starving!" she bellowed right into his ear.

"Well then, SHUT UP!" he yelled right back. She took the ever so subtle hint and sat back, maintaining her threateningly dirty look.

Sora resumed scouting the area, ignoring all of Kairi's groans and complaints. He noticed the anpan salesman fawning his eyes over any attractive woman that passed him by, not even attempting to keep things restrained or subtle.

The salesman had a patch over his left eye. His ears were keen, his eyebrows upturned, and his dark hair with numerous grey streaks tied into a long ponytail.

He gave a lewd look to a passing female. "Hey, sweet sweet, how bout you come over here and cop some bread, huh? Free of charge if you give me a kiss." He puckered his lips. She only laughed at his poor attempt before ambling past.

A young girl stood behind him with her arms crossed disapprovingly.

"What?" the salesman asked, honest to god confused why his stepsister was getting all bitchy at a time like this. He didn't do anything.

"If I've not told you once, I've told you a million times that you need to learn how to show respect towards women. They are not just sex objects, you know?"

The girl, who appeared to be around Sora and Kairi's age, had long, thick black hair that was slick down to the foundation. It prompted admiration and aroused the idea of her strict grooming. Green eyes looked at the salesman with irritation. She puffed out a somnolent pant—grown used to his shenanigans. "You're a real jerk, you know that? How are you ever going to get a girlfriend with that sleazy attitude?"

Xigbar sneered. "Hey, they may not like to admit it—but chicks dig the dirty talk. It turns them on. Not to mention my charming good looks," he said as he used his hand to slick his hair back. He felt the brunt of his stepsister's boot hit his shin. He jumped on one leg while grasping it, letting out comical yelps of pain.

"What'd you do that for?"

"You deserved it," she deadpanned. She gasped, "Oh! I forgot about the new batch of anpan! They must be done by now!"

He rolled his eyes. "You're so ditzy. Why the hell did mom leave _you _in charge of cooking when you can't even get your shit together?"

He received another kick to the shin before she shifted back inside of the local bakery. The salesman was about to chase after her and let her have it—but let it go once he saw another fine honey strutting past his anpan stand. He whistled to her. "Well, _helloooo _nurse!"

Sora figured he could use this guy to his advantage. He noticed a perch sticking out from the bakery behind the booth. It was just above the salesman. He took a look at Kairi and stared at her physique. She had a nice body. Hopefully she was enough to subdue that flirtatious salesman's needs. She noticed his gawking.

"What's your problem?"

"I have a plan. This is how we're doing this. I'm gonna be hung up on that perch. What I need you to do is distract that salesman."

She raised a brow. "And just how do I do that?"

"It's simple, really," he smirked before whispering to her ear. When he backed up, she felt repulsed.

"No way! Nuh uh! Never!"

Sora rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's not like I asked you to get in bed with him."

"You may as well have! With that kind of plan, he might end up dragging me to his place!" She crossed her arms, "I shall not sacrifice my dignity for such a shameless indulgence."

"Fine, then I guess we're gonna have to press on with you on an empty stomach."

"I guess so."

Wow, she actually didn't budge this time. Was she that afraid to do something like that? Xion would have done it. It seemed trivial to him.

"Don't be a bitch. All you have to do is flaunt the goods a little bit. Show him a little somethin'."

Kairi snuck a peek at her breasts. "You think he'd even think I have enough goods to please him?"

Oh, so this was all just insecurities. That made more sense. "Kairi, you have a—" Sora stopped himself when he realized that in order to get her to do anything, he had to compliment her. He didn't know much about women, but he knew one thing was that they loved compliments. Kairi was full of herself enough already, he didn't want to inflate her ego any further, but for the sake of getting some food, he'd have to. He was starting to get a little famished himself.

She perked her ear up. "What was that?"

"Kairi, you have a perfectly fine body," he said in a low tone, "he'd be an idiot not to like it."

"You're just saying that."

"No I'm not," he was, "just try it. I'm sure if you can get him distracted enough, I can slip behind him and grab some anpan for us." Sure, she did have a nice body but it was killing him to have to admit it aloud.

"You really think I have that good of a body?" She moved closer to him, a twinkle in her eye. Sora had never seen her act like this.

He avoided eye contact as he rubbed the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, sure…"

"Aunt Serah used to hang around me all the time when I took rides out into Radiant Garden when I was a kid. Serah was allowed to actually walk around town, but I wasn't, and boys would fawn over like she was the best thing to walk on two long, scaly legs. I figured that I had no sex appeal because of that." She let out a breath and smiled with determination. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Good," Sora said, still not looking at her in the eyes, "I'll give you the signal."

He walked casually across the street, whistling innocently, not gaining a glance from the public. He leaned against the wall against the building right behind the booth. That salesman didn't even no he existed. Hopefully, it'd stay that way.

When no eyes were attentive, he quickly climbed up a pipe that was clung to the building. Once at the appropriate height, he leaped over to the perch and bent down. He had a clear view of the man and the display of bread. He gave Kairi the look, and she nodded.

Kairi stood up, dusted herself off, and did a few other things to make sure her appearance was as on point as it could be for a peasant. She walked towards the salesman, trying to imitate the way she had seen her aunt strut numerous times—wasn't working too well. Fortunately, she still had enough pride to reach the stand unscathed.

At her arrival, the salesman was already groveling at her appearance. Perky breasts, slim figure, firm ass—he could work with this, most definitely.

"Hiya doin', sweetheart?"

Her eyes widened. "Sweetheart?!" She noticed Sora giving her the red alert, "Oh, I mean uh—yeah, I just wanted to, um, see if you could hook a girl up with this uh—anpan here, uh, big boy."

Sora used his palm to hit himself in the face.

Surprisingly, the salesman didn't seem to even notice how awkward she was. He was too busy staring at her assets. "Yeah, no problem, good-looking." He filled a plastic bag with some anpan, not once taking an eye off of her.

Sora gave Kairi a signal to hurry this up.

"Hey, uh, we should uh—you know, hang out some time…" her smile lied.

Was this the man's lucky day? He never had a girl ask him out before, and not this easily. "Sure!" he said excitedly. He maintained his composure and cool, "I mean, sure. I'm free all the time. Name's Xigbar, how about you?"

"Uh—" she darted her eyes around the area. She needed to find something fast. Her eyes set themselves on the anpan, "Annie Panella."

"Annie Panella?" It sounded like such an unusual name, "Okay, Annie. Where do you stay?"

Kairi walked to the side while gesturing him over. "Come over here so I can tell you. I like, uh, standing in the sun. It helps me relax."

Xigbar shrugged. "Makes sense." He followed like a lost puppy.

Sora got into action. He landed behind the cart and picked up as many anpan as he could pick up from the stash. Kairi kept a close eye on him. As soon as Sora left, she was going to cut this guy off and pretend she automatically lost interest in him. Sora turned around and noticed that the girl from earlier was standing in the door's frame holding a fresh new sheet of anpan, her eyes widened to Sora's unfamiliarity. The boy froze like a deer caught red handed by headlights. He had to act fast as he quickly set his stolen bread to the side and placed his hand to the girl's mouth before she could warn her brother. As Xigbar rambled on about how sexy he found her, Kairi noticed Sora giving her the signal to wrap this up.

"You know what?" Kairi said, giving him a sheepish smile, "I don't think this is going to work out, so never mind."

"Really?" The disappointment hit him like a bullet, "It's okay. You're too young, and your boobs aren't even that big anyway. You might want to consider some kind of surgery on those, because dudes like 'em big and juicy."

Sora winced. He knew he shouldn't have said that. Kairi's cheeks fumed as smoke practically escaped her ears. One rule about Kairi was that you did _not _talk badly of her physical appearance.

"Listen here you illiterate cock! You do _not _speak to me in any kind of way as if I was of your kind! You had best treat me with respect or else I'll have your mother killed with the most excruciatingly slow and painful death possible, you hideous pirate! Who the hell do you think you are to comment on my breasts? You say I'm too young, but I bet if I hadn't rejected your stupid ass, you would have tried to fuck, you greasy pedophile! You better hope I don't find you sleeping by yourself because I won't hesitate to free the world from your existence and that's a motherfucking promise! Do you understand me you brainless fucktarded faggot? Go fuck yourself!"

People stopped to take a look at what seemed to be a fight about to commence. Xigbar didn't know what to do or say—but he knew she couldn't get away with that. "Officers!"

The local guards came running up as soon as possible.

"What's the problem here?"

"Dude, this girl, like, totally disrespected me when all I tried to do was sell her some bread."

Kairi scoffed. "No way, tell them the truth! You were going to take me back to your place and bust a nut!"

"She's lying, sirs!"

The officers preferred to take the side of the older teen. One of them brought out handcuffs. "Come with us, missy, you'll have to spend a night in jail for insolence against a common salesman."

The men took a hold of Kairi by each arm. "Y-You can't do that!" Oh, how she desperately wanted to declare that she was the princess. They'd surely unhand her then.

Sora sighed. Having Kairi around was going to be a hassle. Girl just couldn't stay out of trouble for anything. He released the girl from his hold and sprinted into the scene, whisking past the officers while grabbing Kairi by the wrist before they could chain her in the cuffs. "'Scuse me!"

The young girl couldn't help but feel empathy for that boy. Though, she didn't know why.

Off they went, pacing quickly through the masses that jumbled up in the account of the festival. The chase was on. Sora led the chase, Kairi simply followed and allowed him to lead her wherever his quick thinking took them.

There wasn't much to improvise with. They were surrounded by wide eyes wondering what could have happened to cause such a panorama. The cops weren't even that far behind. Sora had to run for four legs this time, and not just two—this made it harder for him to think of an escape plan. How could he manage thinking while making sure Kairi was okay? The only choice they had was to simply run like hell and hope for the best.

Sora turned his head for a split second to see how far of a distance they were from the authorities. He ended up bumping into a rock hard body. It was a young man with silver hair, but the face didn't strike familiarity.

"Sorry," Sora quickly sputtered before he ran back off tugging onto Kairi. Xehanort simply smirked at the expediency.

It wasn't before long before Sora and Kairi were surrounded by numerous dark creatures. He hadn't seen them since he and Claire went out to go find Hope. Xion had read up on the heartless, and if he recalled correctly, she informed him once that these were called Neoshadows.

"Those are the things from the castle!" Kairi announced.

Sora placed an arm in front of Kairi protectively. He outstretched his other arm ready to draw his Keyblade, readying himself to defend her at any cost. More so, his drive would be to simply survive another day—as long as he could see Xion again.

Before Sora could even unleash the Kingdom Key, one of the Neoshadows was detonated with a burst of lightning. Sora and Kairi whirled their heads to see where that attack could have come from. The princess looked at Sora in amazement. "How did you do that?!"

Sora checked himself out to see if he still looked the same and didn't evolve into some kind of rare species. "I don't—_think _I did anything!"

Out of seemingly nowhere, the girl from the bakery came hurdling down in a vertigo inducing somersault. She landed gracefully on the ground below, a Keyblade shining radiantly in her hand. She stood up and got into her stance.

"Don't you guys even sweat it, I got you covered!"

Kairi tugged on Sora's arm. "Come on, let's go!"

Sora was caught in the moment. Why was this girl, who he had never seen a day before in his life, now helping him for seemingly no reason? And the even better question, was why was it that he felt obligated to help back?

"Get to safety, princess."

Her eyes provoked questions that needed to be answered. "What about you?"

"Fine, stay here then." Sora whipped out his Keyblade and took his stance next to the girl. Kairi figured she was out of place, so she took Sora's advice and ran into a nearby corner, watching from the sidelines. Luckily, the heartless's attention were too concentrated on the Keyblade wielders to worry about feeble victims such as Kairi or any other pedestrian for that matter.

The two Keyblade wielders stood attentively, waiting for someone to make a move.

"So, you seem to be a Keyblader as well, hm?" the girl asked, her lips pursed.

"Yeah. What's your story?"

"I think we might need to save that for later."

"Good idea."

One of the Neoshadows finally made a move as it lunged towards Sora. The rest of the heartless immediately followed as they attacked at full throttle. Sora didn't hesitate to swipe them with his Keyblade. A Neoshadow flung itself into the air, using its feet to pounce on Sora's chest. The boy was sent flying back until he hit the ground back first.

"Ugghh…" he groaned.

The mysterious lass was far from inexperienced. She battered the Neoshadows with complex Keyblade combinations. A Neoshadow attempted to get the jump on her, but she quickly ducked out of its way, pointed her Keyblade at it. She shot a spreading burst of large ice crystals. The heartless practically vanished.

Sora picked himself back up and noticed he was surrounded by three Neoshadows. He had to hurry and get them off his back. He struck them with his body unbalanced, legs buckling; the damage he gave off was a pathetic minimum. He was still able to get the job done. As he relieved himself of the three impending foes, two more came from behind to get the jump on him.

The girl wasn't having that as she swiftly kicked one of them out of the way before slashing the next with her Keyblade all in one smooth motion, killing it instantly. The remaining heartless lunged at her, but she only flipped into the air, landing on its back before pouncing into the air.

She lingered midair for a moment as she spun her Keyblade into a twist of hand movements. A magnetic vortex emerged from what seemed to be thin air as the whirlpool pulled the Neoshadows into one big joint of entangled weaves of darkness.

The teenager slowly descended from the air once the heartless were all gathered. As she fell, she pointed her blade upward at the suspended Neoshadows. Out of the tip of her blade, the rush of a large fireball came homing towards the amass—surmounting in a big explosion.

The girl landed on her feet without a scratch on her. She immediately made her way over to Sora and tended to him. "Hey, are you alright?"

Sora was speechless. "Uh, yeah—"

He cut himself off when the crowd surrounding them gave the girl a round of applause for such a commendable performance. That truly was impressive. Sora only wished he had such adroit ability. Master Xehanort scowled at the prospect from inside the mist of appreciative fools. Was this going to be another enemy for him to deal with? She must have been one of the seven lights.

The Keyblade Master looked at his hand, seeing a vapor of darkness beginning to disperse. He was running out of darkness to use at his disposal, hence he couldn't summon anymore heartless. He'd just have to return to the lab and concoct a more stable recipe.

The girl waved to the overwhelming crowd with a shy smile. She wasn't used to receiving this much attention. She had kept her secret as a Keyblade wielder locked away from the public, but now that it was out in the open, her future seemed to be unfastened to anything yet still unpredictable.

Kairi ran out from the crowd, standing by Sora's side.

"You're really good!" Sora said, smiling. "How long have you been using that Keyblade?"

She took a look at the Keyblade that hadn't left her grasp. It was reminiscent of cresting waves, both along the shaft and at the teeth. A Wayfinder appeared at the top of the shaft within a black circle, surrounded by a cresting wave. The hilt had two heart-shaped openings. The handle and chain were both an ivory color.

"Since I was fourteen," she answered, "I'm seventeen now, though." No wonder she was that good, she had been practicing with it for three years now.

"All that practice paid off," he complimented.

"Thank you. I call it the Brightcrest." After putting her Keyblade away, she stuck her hand out. "My name is Amaya Irino."

"Sora Yukana."

Kairi coughed obnoxiously.

"Oh yeah, and this is Annie Panella. She's just some slut who's always following me around worshipping my penis."

Kairi grabbed Sora by the ear. "Things would go by a lot better if you simply kept your mouth shut!" She offered Amaya a slight smile. "Sorry. Don't pay any attention to him."

Amaya waved it off. "Don't worry, I knew he was only joking. Where are you two headed?"

"Across town to the library," Sora answered.

Amaya chortled. "That old dump? Why would you be going there? It's been out of business for years now. On top of that, it's being torn down."

"Torn down?" Sora asked incredulously. That couldn't be, his sister was there—wasn't she? Kairi placed a reassuring hand on his back. He turned around to see her giving him a look he had never received from her before since he had met her—sympathy.

"Don't worry," the princess said.

Amaya was surprised with his reaction. Why was he so worried about that creepy old library? Perhaps he had some kind of nostalgic connection with it. "I'm sorry, is it something that important to you?"

"No, it's just," Sora took a deep breath, "we're a little off course at this point, so do you think you could lead us there?"

"Sure," Amaya said skeptically. "But do you think I might be able to get some exposition along the way?" A kid ran up to her with a pencil and paper in hand, requesting an autograph. She quickly scribbled her name on his paper as he giddied back to his family.

Sora was about to open his mouth, but Kairi beat him to the punch. "Someone very important to him may be in that area, so he's a little worried, that's all." She figured he needed a break from all the bullshit, the very least she could do was fill in for him.

"Oh, I see," Amaya said softly. She let her hand lay gently on his shoulder. "I'm sure they're going to be alright. No worries, I'll get you to where you're going."

His eyes were hallowing of optimism. "Okay."

"Come on. Let's get a move on before these people start a riot over me."

"Good idea," Kairi admitted.

The new found trio found a lane creased through the crowd and quickly ran through until they could spot a place of privacy. Sora and Kairi had no idea who this mysterious Amaya was, and if they could even trust her. But Sora was more concerned about something else…

Xion, where the hell are you?

* * *

**I am SOO tired right now, you don't even know! So if there are any grammar issues up there, someone, please tell me, but I'm just too exhausted to do anything about it now. blissfulnightrain, could you be a dear? :)**

**Edited as of 11/5/14**

**Speaking of blissfulnightrain, Amaya, the new character introduced in this chapter is hers, not mine! I take no credit for creating this character because I didn't make her. So why am I using someone elses OC? It's just all good fun! So blissful, tell me if you liked the way I portrayed her! I couldn't delve too deep into her personality into this one just yet, but that shall definitely be there next chap. **

**Still no Xion! I think I'm just trolling you guys at this point :P I didn't think this little arc would stretch to three chaps, but that's what it looks like it's going to have to come down to. **

**So anyway, thank you to everybody who's been supporting! Follow, fav, and review! **


	13. Connected

"So, how does it feel to be back inside of your body?"

Xemnas and Ansem sat on a sofa in Master Xehanort's lab. Ansem had arrived moments earlier. He needed a break after obtaining a recruit alongside Xaldin. The serene taste of every sip his wine bid him broke down barriers in his tension.

"I feel like a brand new me," Ansem finally answered. "When your grandfather drained my youth all those years ago, I slowly grew prone to insanity. Now that my thoughts have finally become manual for me to control, my darkness is starting to revitalize." He took his left fist and clenched it. A delicate aura orbited his knuckles.

Xemnas looked at his own fist, noting the lack of darkness stimulated into his own mental. He'd have to obtain that darkness for himself if he were to ever make his grandfather proud. "Why did my grandfather do that to you, anyway? He never told me the story."

Ansem scoffed. "I'm not sure why. The tale isn't very sacred. Long ago, your grandfather and I went on an expedition to find a pure source of radiation. It would help craft certain DNA structure." He took another sip.

Xemnas recalled his grandfather raving on radiation before. "Was there some kind of radiation epidemic back then?"

"Something like that. I had been plotting to betray him for a while then. I figured I'd learn how to channel the power of radiation for my own personal use, but he had deduced me of my arrangement for some time, and used the Keyblade to diminish my youth."

"I didn't know his Keyblade could do that."

"His previous Keyblade could, but that was destroyed during the war. He told me that he wouldn't return my youth until he felt that he could earn my trust back. To do that, with my position as Kuame, I led the queen to him when she came to Sabre Mountains. I saw it as the perfect opportunity, even through my nonsensical way of thinking at that time." Ansem downed the rest of his drink before he flung the glass across the room. He checked out his fingernails. "Kid, do you have any empathy towards your grandfather?"

The question obliged the young man to raise an eyebrow. "Why are you asking?"

Ansem's lips upturned deceitfully. "I may be in no position to do anything now, but I won't be taken down so easily. I have something in store for your grandfather. I've come to realize that despite him being our elected leader, he still isn't anything compared to the boss."

Xemnas had almost forgotten about the boss. "You mean… I mean, don't you think that perhaps you might want to learn your lesson from before?"

"I wasn't capable of developing a proper scheme back then. My inexperience hindered me. I delved in way too deep over my head, when Xehanort was on the level of a genius. But now," he chuckled, "I know exactly how to get that pompous fool to fall a few pegs. The only question is…" Ansem looked at him, "are you with me, or against me?"

The question hit Xemnas in the face, his response grew numb. His grandfather was brash. His expectations were on a different level. But was that enough to betray his own blood?

Before he could answer, Xehanort busted into the lab. His patience had been corroded like acid rain slewing building tops. Time had been left to squander.

He paused when he saw two of his associates sitting on the glossy white sofa. He placed a hand to his heart but sobered into a frown. "Why are you here? Where is Xaldin?" he asked, his question directed towards Ansem.

Ansem shut his eyes. "He should be on his way. He's with our new recruit."

Xehanort raised a brow. "New recruit?"

"His name is Zexion, who will be acting as our strategist from now on. They should be here pretty soon."

"Well then why the hell are you two lethargic, apathetic imbeciles sitting here doing nothing?" Master Xehanort wrung his arms out of his coat sleeves. He chucked it to the side before he rammed double doors leading to the closet aside.

Ansem gradually opened his eyes at the sound of such frustration. "Hostile?"

Xehanort rummaged through the hangers until he spotted his black cloak. Since Xemnas was already fully clad in one, he only tossed it to Ansem. "Suit up," he demanded. Xehanort presented himself with his own black cloak.

Xemnas stood from the couch. "Master…?"

"We have to take action—now. The enemy is growing thick. They already seem to have found another Keyblade wielder. No more of this hiding in the shadows, trying to study the enemy. I have learned what their weaknesses are, their strengths, so the best move is to attack now while they're still frail and underdeveloped before we have a major adversary on our hands."

Ansem unbuttoned his leather coat. "What's the plan?"

"I've been searching for a place to release the heartless at full discharge. No more holding back, we're going to unleash the heartless and take Radiant Garden over."

* * *

In the kitchen, Riku swatted a crude wooden sword. He looked at its rigid creases. For some reason, Sora came to mind. "It's a shame. You'd think that I'd be the one who was chosen to wield that Keyblade and protect Princess Kairi from any danger. I guess it wasn't meant to be. Still, it feels like a crime, don't you agree?"

Flame sunk her teeth into her bowl. She eyed him annoyingly, wishing that the boy would shut up and allow her to eat in peace.

"Aw come on, you can eat anytime. You're the only one I can talk to in this castle. Merlin is a nut and I'm pretty sure Serah forgot I even existed by now."

Flame rolled her eyes as she continued eating.

"I mean, I just don't get it," Riku said, returning to his voiced thoughts, "I mean I always thought that the hero was supposed to be the dude who's got the best looks. And I mean, come on, you gotta admit that I'm much sexier than Sora." He whipped his hair back and flashed a charismatic smirk. Flame paid him no attention. "Since when did you turn into such a bitch? You take after the Princess?"

She growled at him as a warning. She preferred when people did not speak of any owners of hers with such tone.

He raised his hands. "Sorry, just joking with you."

Despite fooling around, a tinge of truth slept silently in his statements. As an alternative to freeloading off the royalty, the option to be beneficial would be presented. But what could he do? He had nothing of remote value.

Footsteps heeded from the living room. Riku and Flame peeked inside to find Hope hauling Claire bridal style into the main foyer.

"Your Majesty, what happened?"

"It's a long story, son. Could you do me a favor and bring her up to her room?"

"Sure." Hope handed his wife over to the youth as he held his own head in pain. "Tired?"

"You have no idea. Let's just get a move on."

She withdrew her eyes from the letter. Her blonde hair chaotically drifted over her eyes. She moved the tedious strands out of the way and puffed. "It's not like I didn't see this coming." She sighed as she crumpled the paper and stuffed it inside her pocket. Now once again clothed in her occupation attire ready to proceed with her concentrated effort, Naminé spruced Kairi's room back to the way it was prior to her intrusion.

She scouted the place all over. It felt like removing evidence from a crime scene, yet at the same time the guilt was eclipsed with pleasure and satisfaction. In the end, the result remained that she got to see him again. You could film the scenario with every other angle, the end result would remain untouched.

She shut the door and noticed Riku carrying an unconscious Claire down the hall with the King in tow. Curiosity sunk in right on cue. Thoughts of the Queen's death aroused her concern. She wasted no time catching up to them. "Your Majesty, what happened?"

He turned his head halfway to catch glimpse of the voices source. "She's just a bit shook up. It shouldn't be a big deal, but I am going to call in some medical assistance just in case."

Claire's face was pale, cold and dead. She probably would have been mistaken for an absence of any life if it weren't for her steady heartbeat. Naminé felt her wrist; she had a nearly faded pulse. What could have caused such devastation?

"But what did exactly happen?" Riku asked. "You never answered my question, sir."

"I'm honestly not sure. She just passed out without much warning." He narrowed his eyes to the recent memory. "She has been acting strange lately, though. Something's bothering her, I can tell."

"You think so?" Naminé asked. The question felt more like a formality rather than genuine interest. It was quite obvious to any eye with a bout of common sense that something was odd with the Queen, but conveying it in casual conversation felt too direct. What's the point of being a conversation manipulator unless your conversation partners imply certain qualms on their own? Subtly is an underrated mace.

"I've been married to her for sixteen years—I'd like to think I know my wife pretty well by now."

"If not, I'd say some serious marriage counseling might need to be under consideration," Riku quipped.

Hope chuckled but ceased once he stared at Claire's face again. "What hurts is that she won't tell me what's wrong. I figured that by now we wouldn't have any secrets between us."

Naminé wanted to scoff. Hope's statement was such a petty implication for sympathetic soothing. If not cornered into playing a gracious character opposite of her own motivation, she would have told him to man up. Alas, blowing her cover would be reckless. "Why don't you ask her what's wrong when she wakes up?"

"You think I haven't thought of that? It's just that when she comes to me for help, that's when I'll know she really needs me."

Waiting for things to get worse instead of apprehending the problem as soon as possible is blatant idiocy. Only a fool would wait for the dilemma to come crying to them before taking advantage of prior knowledge of the norm's blemishing. That's how a lot of disasters come about. This was what Naminé meant by having to deal with idiots in the castle. Their common sense made no sense.

Throughout her inner curses, Naminé forced herself to preserve a smile. "Your Majesty, I believe the best route is to capture the problem before it escapes you, and put it to rest. Otherwise, your place to do something about it will have been long and forgotten."

"Yeah, you're right." But why was it that he was being lectured by a minor? "I feel stupid. Maybe it's this probable war that's making me not think clearly but I seriously need to get a grip."

The three entered the bedroom. Riku gently laid Claire down on the mattress. "I hope she's alright," Riku admitted.

"Naminé, could you get medical aid in here soon? I have something I want to do."

"Why, of course. Right away, your Highness."

"Riku, could you keep her company?"

It wasn't like she was going anywhere, but Riku could relate to the King's caution. "No problem."

Hope and Naminé left the room headed their separate ways. The King didn't want his daughter to worry. Despite how hostile the princess could be towards her mother, he knew deep down she cared for her a great deal. He stepped up to Kairi's room and rapped his knuckles against the door. "Kairi?" He received no response. "Just letting you know that your mother isn't feeling too good right now so try to go easy on her, okay?"

Only silence retorted.

"Kairi?" He opened the door to introduce himself to an empty room. "The hell…?"

* * *

With the afternoon haze shifted to a warm azure flush, a light, cloudy crescent moon led the town to dusk. Amaya escorted the way in front. Kairi staggered to keep up with her much more steady paced acquaintances. She had never walked so much in her entire life. She wobbled onto a nearby bench, her breaths heavy. She placed a hand on her forehead. Her fingers stroked moist skin before she pinched her shirt near the breast area, flapping the fabric back and forth.

"I can't… take it any more… we've been walking for like, three hours!"

The two stopped. Amaya looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "It's only been ten minutes."

Kairi groaned. "How can you people _do _these insane activities? It's preposterous!"

Sora rolled his eyes. "Quit stalling. We've still got an extra fifteen minutes worth of walking to do, and you're wasting our time."

With a smile, Amaya patted Sora on the shoulder. "Don't be so hard on her. I'm sure Annie just needs something to keep her energized. Like a refreshment!"

Kairi cracked her head towards her. "That sounds fabulous…" she worded breathlessly.

Sora restrained a grunt. The very last thing they needed to do was carelessly fling away more time, but it seemed like the universe was bent on keeping him away from Xion as long as possible. Besides, it'd be impolite for him to not go along with it. What's a few more minutes?

Kairi looked at them expectantly. "Well?"

Sora and Amaya returned a blank stare.

"I'm waiting! Sora, aren't you going to help me up? Manner less frog!"

Amaya raised both eyebrows at this girl's attitude. She was definitely an aberration. Never had she seen someone act as entitled as this before. She turned to Sora, her confused eyes asking for answers. He shook his head in response.

"Get up your own damn self," Sora answered.

Kairi gaped. "How dare you?"

"I know a place nearby," Amaya confessed, interrupting their impending argument. She helped pull Kairi up from her spot.

"At least _someone _knows how to treat a lady," Kairi accused, keeping an objected eye on Sora. He barely acknowledged her. Kairi turned to Amaya. "You know of this place, huh? Well, lead the way."

By place, the last thing Kairi expected was a bar.

With a disgusted expression, Kairi eyed the foreign environment in horror. Grotesque, obese men bellowed amongst each other. Their voices were granted with superfluous volume. The entire structure wasn't like anything Kairi had seen before. An uninterested brown colored the walls where a few beheaded animals hung with frightening growls. The aroma of alcohol and meager mouth sanitization whiffed the air shamelessly. Obnoxious screams, crude laughter from childish gags such as gas passing or burping, and crass language all violated Kairi's stability.

Amaya seemed pretty comfortable as a bright smile lingered. Sora looked detached, as if this weren't anything out of the ordinary. How could peasants be so composed in the company of such vulgar?

"This is the place!" Amaya beamed. Before she could take a step, a body flung onto the floor in her path. Apparently, he had been involved in a shoving contest and had been sent flying back. Kairi shrieked as she cowered near Sora's arm.

Amaya wasn't very affected. She simply took a large step over the plunged victim as she proceeded to the barstools. Sora was about to do the same until Kairi tugged him back.

"You can't be serious! Aren't we a bit underage for this?"

He disregarded her concern as he snatched his arm away, walking towards Amaya, who was already seated and waiting to get a bartender. Kairi had no choice but to follow. She trembled towards Sora and Amaya, keeping her body stiff so that she didn't attract too much attention. A failed attempt, since one of the crude individuals was eyeing her with a lewd smirk. She felt howls and whistles directed her way.

She kept her eyes closed and tried to think of herself back at the castle where it was nice and safe; free from any potential sex offenders that infiltrated _this_ sickening institution. She felt firm hands gently touch her shoulders. She prepared to release her restricted scream. If he didn't remove his hand right at that instant, she'd reveal to the public that she was really the Princess and have the peasant that dared lay a finger on her arrested, perhaps beheaded.

She opened her eyes to see that it was only Sora that had been the one holding her, his face stern but protective. Technically, it was a peasant, but she thanked the heavens that it was only him, and not any of these other creeps. Sora was an exception.

"Don't worry," he soothed. As he walked her to the barstools, he eyed all of the horny drunks with a threatening glare.

As they made it up to Amaya, Sora released her. A sensation of warmth left Kairi's body but she remained solid.

Amaya, seated on the barstool, offered a sympathetic stare. She turned to Sora. "First time in the bar?"

He shook his head. "Not for me," he admitted. He had his fair share deal of illegally entering a saloon with damaged permission. "Her, on the other hand…"

"I see." She gave Kairi a comforting smile. "You have nothing to worry about, Annie. These guys may seem like ruthless brutes, but they just do that to scare ya. Pay them no mind."

"Yeah, but don't get too comfortable," Sora countered, his arms crossed skeptically. "_Somebody _in here is probably a bit on the shady side. Trust no one."

Kairi felt woozy. "O-Okay."

Sora took a seat next to Amaya. They noticed Kairi had remained stationary. "You gonna sit down?" he asked.

She gagged at the worn out barstool that probably sat countless unhygienic bottoms. "I'm fine the way I am."

The two shared a shrug before they turned back around. Amaya bent over the counter in search for any employees to aid them. "Where is that bartender?"

"So," Sora started, "I never got the proper chance to thank you for saving my ass earlier. Your Keyblade skills are pretty sick. Maybe you could teach me a thing or two? I'm still pretty new to using mine."

"I'd love to. But I mostly use magic, are you fine with learning about those tactics?"

"Sure, any kind of information is great. Especially with how much _I _suck."

"Oh come on, you aren't _that _bad."

He gave her a dull look. "Lies!"

She giggled. "I mean, well, yeah, your style is a little rough around the edges but it's nothing I can't patch up."

"I appreciate your poor attempt at making me feel better," he smirked. "It's just that I really need to learn how to use it properly. I have—some people to protect." His eye darted to the rigid Kairi for a split second.

"Oh, I get it. To protect the ones you love, huh?"

Sora stifled his laughter. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I wasn't very good at using my Keyblade either when I first discovered that I could wield it."

Sora folded his arms against the counter as his interest stimulated. "How did that all unfold, exactly?"

She tatted her fingernails against the counter. She lacked emotion. "It happened when I was fourteen. Long story short, it sort of just—came to me when I needed it most."

More elaboration would have been nice, but he could tell that it seemed to be a topic she'd rather allow to linger. "I see."

"What about you? You said you had found out that you could use yours quite recently."

Shit. He couldn't tell her that he got his Keyblade out from a stone that indicated that he was destined to protect the girl standing behind them—especially since Sora still wrote it off as a fluke. Amaya seemed smart enough to put two and two together, and rumors of the Keyblade in the stone were far from hushed. Kairi's identity would be exposed. "Oh, you know… like you, it just sort of—came to me."

Their edgy chuckles synchronized as they turned heads, desperate to stumble onto a different topic. At the same time, they both detected that they weren't letting each other on about something, but to avoid revealing skeletons, they kept their mouths shut.

A lanky figure slid out from the back door as he stopped right before the pair. Thick red locks reached his shoulders, slicked back into spikes. His eyes were emerald; under each were purple reverse-teardrop tattoos. He smirked at Amaya.

"Sorry for the wait, did you miss me?" he asked.

Amaya rolled her eyes. "I was _longing_ for you, Axel, really I was."

"It's natural that you would." He massaged his hair back before getting real close to her. "I mean, come on, how could you resist a striking face like this, huh?"

Sora could have sworn he saw a sparkle glisten in his teeth.

"I can, and I do on a daily basis," she said as she shoved him back gently. He chuckled before his eyes set themselves on Sora.

"Who the hell are you?"

Must not have been keen on new faces. Sora opened his mouth before Amaya intruded.

"He's just a friend, Axel. No need to get jealous," she teased.

"It's not jealousy; I'm just simply looking after my little sister." He eyed Sora up and down. "I'm watchin' you."

Sora's resolve to care was left elsewhere. "Whatever, bro." He shouldn't have been here. He should be out looking for Xion. Amaya had definitely lost points on his scale for proposing this time eroding pastime, but he didn't hesitate to knock himself down a few pegs for giving in so easily. If it were anyone's fault, it was his.

Axel went into his pocket and whipped out a cloth. "Anyway, what can I get for you and your date?" He rested the cloth on his shoulder.

She rolled her eyes. "I'll have a martini. And please don't spike it this time."

He groaned. "Will you get off of that? That was like, a million years ago. Besides, you had a fun time that night at my place, right?"

She blushed from the memory. Axel smiled in triumph.

"That's what I thought." He turned to Sora, a smug look. "What about you, pretty boy?"

"Water."

"Your new boyfriend seems like a pussy."

She placed her fist under her chin as she leaned on the counter. Now it was her turn to smirk in victory. "Axel, I just met him."

"Oh, so it's a _one night stand _sort of thing, I gotcha," he winked. Sora remained unsure of how to react as Amaya face palmed. "Alright, anything else?" He peeked behind Sora to find Kairi with her arms crossed, tapping her foot against the hardwood floor. She was lost in space. "What about you, cutie?"

Amaya turned around. "Annie, did you want something to drink? It's on me."

Kairi looked up at her quickly. She almost forgot that Sora and Amaya were there. "Uh, yeah, I'll have a boulevardier with extra sweet vermouth."

Axel laughed. "That's a good one! We don't sell that kind of stuff here! You'll have to go to the royal establishments to get some of that."

Amaya was surprised that someone of the supposed lower-class would even bother to ask for such an expensive drink. This Annie Panella was definitely an eccentricity amongst even the most standard anomalies.

"Well, what do you have?"

"All that's left in stock is ginger ale, martinis, tequila, and some beer."

Such repulsive drinks; they didn't deserve to be consumed by someone of her fancy. "I'll pass."

Sora frowned. "You had better not start crying later on about being thirsty. This is your last chance."

"I said no!"

He turned around and puffed.

"Is she always like that?" Amaya whispered near his ear.

"All the time," he returned.

"Alright, so that's a martini and water, I'll commit it to memory. Be right back." Axel went to the counter behind them. He whipped up their drinks at swift speed.

"What's up with this guy?" Sora asked.

She shook her head, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Ex-boyfriend."

That made sense. "Then what was that about with him looking after his little sister referring to you?"

"It's just something we call each other now."

Axel placed their drinks before them. "Enjoy. I'd love to stay and allow you guys to soak in my sexiness, but I got a quick cleaning duty to partake in. I'll see you, sis." He rushed into the back room without another word.

"Anyway," Amaya trailed, "you still haven't told me why we're going to the abandoned library." She took a sip from her martini. She smacked her lips from the bitter sweetness.

He had been spending so much time trying to make conversation, he nearly forgot about his sister. Or was it that he wanted to forget? No, of course not. This really was a distraction. "Oh, uh, yeah…"

Would it be okay to tell her the truth? It wasn't like it was a secret—not necessarily. But it was personal, and Sora wasn't sure if he was okay with revealing precious facts about himself to someone who was still a borderline stranger.

Fuck it, Amaya seemed harmless enough.

"I used to be homeless," he stated bluntly. He felt so weird having to put that in past tense, but technically he did find a home in the palace. "And when I was, I used to live in that library."

Amaya put a hand to her lips as she gasped. "Really?"

"Yeah, and I got this, um—promotion, if you will, that allowed me to have a higher authority, I guess. I was kind of forced into something I didn't want to do, but now that I'm out, I'm just trying to get back to where I belong because my sister is supposed to be there."

"That place must contain some memories for you. I'm starting to think it's a shame that they'd tear it down now. I'm sorry, I had no idea."

"Don't apologize," he deadpanned. "It's just—I really miss her."

No wonder she felt such empathy for him, she could tell right from the start that he had been through some trials when she caught him stealing that anpan, despite that he never showed any signs. On the same side of the coin, the feeling came so suddenly and still heaved questions. The mystery behind her unexpected connection still stood. In any case, there was something about this boy that made her feel—at home.

"How long has it been since you've last seen her?"

"It's been a few weeks, two and a half to be exact." He hauled out a sigh. "Feels like three months, though. Her face is almost starting to become a haze now, and that's what scares me."

She could relate. "Well, if you want to look on the bright side, we should be there in no time. Just a few turns, and we'll be there to see your sister." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "And then, we can turn that frown upside down!"

He sniggered at her optimism. "Yeah, hopefully."

"Well, we better get out of here soon. With _that _sob story, I almost feel kinda bad for making us take this little detour."

"Don't worry about it. Go ahead, finish your drink. If she's that close, a minute or two won't make much of a difference."

"I think you're right." She took another swig of her beverage as Sora did the same for his flavorless water. He wasn't in the mood for zest.

Kairi completely zoned out. She couldn't even hear what Sora and Amaya were talking about with all the noise, but she lacked the guts to sit in that chair just to participate in their conversation. What would be the point? It wasn't like she knew what peasants conversed about. She'd be out of place.

A black cloak entered the tussle—silently making his way towards the barstool. He stopped once he passed by Kairi. His face was awestruck underneath that hood, though nobody would ever know it. She had a wig on, but he could tell who she was from a mile away.

His staring brought the princess out of her thoughts as she raised a brow. "What are _you_ looking at?"

The cloaked figured upheld his hands. He came in peace and didn't want to add to the chaos that already brewed lack of order. This must have been what Naminé meant when he said that Kairi went out into town.

He gave her one last look. She really was gorgeous, just like before. He preferred her with her signature red mane, but nonetheless, she could rock a raven color if she desired to. He sat beside Sora wordlessly.

"Hey, what's up?" Sora asked with his tone quite friendly.

Roxas figured that this must have been the other guy Naminé had spoken of. The resemblance she spoke of was apparent and uncanny. Hopefully, Kairi didn't move on just because of how much he and this guy favored each other.

Roxas simply nodded. He preferred to keep his voice sedated to any other ears. He could feel Kairi's eyes burrowing into his skin like a drill even though he couldn't see her right now. If she was already suspicious, that wasn't a good sign. But if he spoke, Kairi would recognize his voice.

The said princess walked up next to Roxas on his left side, looking at him intently. "Have we met before?" Despite his face discarded, his physique and motion mannerisms sparked a plug.

Roxas shook his head.

"Hm, okay—well, sorry." Her eyes still refused to part from him.

Axel came stumbling out of the room as he dodged an oncoming plate. It shattered into pieces on the wall behind. A voice from within shouted for Axel to hurry up with something. "Alright, alright! Don't lose a limb over it! God…"

Roxas's muscles eased greatly at the sight of Axel. Memories flushed through his mind as he withheld the urge to greet him.

He made his way over to the counter as he slumped before his ex. She giggled as she gently caressed his addictive hair.

"Tired?" she asked.

"My boss is about to make me burn this fucking bar. Dude can't chill for shit."

"Well don't a bust a nut over it."

"Don't worry, babe, that's a job only you can accomplish."

She sighed. "I feel like I should get mad, but I totally set myself up for that one."

Axel turned his head over to the cloaked figure. "Sorry bro, didn't see you there. What can I get you?"

Roxas iced up. How could he answer if Kairi was standing right next to him? He knew she was anticipating for him to hum his voice, and it'd all be over. He glanced at Sora's nearly empty glass and pointed to it.

"You want some water? Okay, why not just say so?"

Roxas shrugged.

"Oh, a mute, huh? Don't worry, I got you." Axel went to the back counter once again.

"Aren't you hot in that thing?" Sora asked the cloaked figured. He simply nodded. Sora and Amaya shrugged it off and finished their drinks, but Kairi's reservations never faded.

Axel placed the glass in front of the black cloak. "There you go, bro." He caught himself staring. "Hey, have I met you somewhere?"

Damn it, how could he even be this noticeable in highly secretive black cloak. He shook his head.

"Oh, okay."

As she finished her martini, Amaya exhaled bliss. "Alright, let's get a move on, guys."

Sora couldn't agree more. He was more than ready to finally leave this joint. Yet, why did his hesitation seep in? He almost wanted to stay put.

A straggler smacked Kairi on the butt as he passed her by. "Nice ass, toots."

Kairi yelped. She turned around and pointed at the man. "Listen here, asshole! Who the fuck do you think you—"

She ceased speaking when she saw that the discourteous gentleman looked to be about a two hundred fifty pound hunchback brute. His nose resembled that of an apple, and his monobrow was heavily noticeable. "Uh, I-I mean…"

He smirked, his bright cheeks highlighted scruffy facial hair. "Don't talk back to me like that. I was tryin' to you a compliment. In this place, you either be grateful or don't say jack shit." He crept closer to her. The Princess was prompted to recoil.

"I-I-I-I'm s-sorry, sir, p-please—"

He seized her by the wrist. Kairi was caught in the moment as he sniffed her all over. The vibrations welled up to her spine as her mind went blank. But what could she do? If she talked back, there was no telling what this man would do to her. Hell, she was probably about to get something now.

"You ought to be punished for being so disrespectful to me, and there's only one way we do that 'round here, right boys?"

The other beasts in the area all cheered him on as they raised their mugs and glasses in approval.

"W-What kind of punishment?" Kairi dared ask.

The brute only sneered as he placed a hand firmly on one of her breasts. Something stirred in Kairi's stomach. It rose up to her throat, but she gulped it back down immediately. It was bad enough a peasant had to comment on her chest earlier, but now someone was _touching _them? She'd have to bathe in bleach later on if she made it out of this.

"S-Stop!"

He lifted her already half cut shirt, much to the support by his peers. A pink bra became evident. "Well sweetie, when you walk around dressed like this then what did you expect?" He was stopped when a hand clutched his shoulder.

"Hey, the lady said paws off!" Sora yelled.

The brute used his elbow hit the brunet straight in the gut. It sent him flying back a few feet before he smashed against the ground hard. Amaya crouched over him. The bully turned around and bumped his fists together.

"Pick a fight with me, huh?!" He stumbled closer to Sora, his fists ready. Amaya stood before him with a protective stance. She wagged her finger at him.

"Now listen, what you did back there was not acceptable!"

Merely a fly as he shoved her to the side. He stood tall before Sora as he lifted the brunet by the collar. "I don't like people who pick fights with me. You ought to learn how to mind your own business."

Sora showed no fear. "What are you gonna do, eat me?"

The foe growled as he pulled his fist back. With a thrust, he pushed it forward and Sora braced himself. His fist ended up being caught by the hooded cloak's palm. Roxas pulled his own fist back and didn't hesitate to punch the brute back. He staggered as he released Sora and clutched his nose.

"Damn it!"

Roxas, with his identity still anonymous, cracked his knuckles. That punch was wicked enough to start a riot. The entire bar was set off like a switch. Everyone showed no mercy as they initiated a free-for-all.

Amaya helped Sora up as he held onto his hurting stomach.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, but," he stopped himself as he stared at the barbarians that partook in such a scuffle. His awe hampered him from forging any further words.

"Where's Annie at?" Amaya asked rhetorically as she bobbed her head around in search of her.

The large brute and Roxas were going at it—their brawl mostly consisted of him trying to desperately land a hit on the agile Roxas—to no avail. The boy was able to dodge every attempt he made effortlessly.

The harasser decided to just give up on subduing Roxas as he ran towards Kairi. He lifted her onto his shoulder and made a quick escape to the door. For a big guy, his speed was surprisingly commendable. Roxas strived his way through the overcrowded bunch of bustling, strapped men, but it proved to be too much of a task. He was forced to hop onto the tables and somersault his way across the room until he reached the outside.

Sora and Amaya watched the entire scene unfold. He moved himself away from her as he let out a breath. He nodded to her. "I'm okay, let's go!"

The two crawled their way under legs. To say they got kicked around involuntarily a few times went without question. They made it to the outside where the night greeted them with dead silence. Most of the Radiant Garden villagers had gone home; only a couple of shady stragglers remained meandering on the streets. The pair looked to their left and right, but saw no sights of any of the three. Where the hell could they have went?

"Damn it," Amaya cursed, "how did they all get away so fast?"

"I don't know, but that guy breaks the scale of being criminally insane! Arrgh, why does Radiant Garden have to be so fucked up?"

It wasn't always like this. People weren't as crazy as they were now. Constant wars seemed to change this place for the worst.

"Left or right?" Amaya asked.

He knew this was coming. "L-Left."

"Let's go!" Amaya ran to their left, but stopped once she noticed Sora not following. She turned around and beckoned him. "Come on, we gotta hurry up and find them!" She noticed him not moving. "Sora?"

Sora turned to the right. He knew that Xion wasn't too far away, but to have to choose between Kairi and Xion was a worst case scenario.

Amaya couldn't bear for him to have to stay away from his sister any longer. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Take this next left towards the bailey. Once you make it through, all you have to do is make it across the Market place. You ought to know your way to library from there."

"What are you saying?"

"Go ahead. Find your sister. I can take care of Annie. I'll make sure she's okay."

Sora didn't know what to say. His gratitude had been elevated to heights he never thought possible. Before he could thank her for such kindness, she gave him a wink before dashing off the other way in search of that huge thief and the cloaked figure.

He smiled. "Good luck." He darted off the other way, having memorized the instructions given to him.

Kairi pounded against the brutes back. "Let me go! What is your problem?!"

He chuckled manically. His eyes widened with obsession. "Ain't nobody gonna make a fool outta me! Ain't nobody gonna make a fool outta me!"

He stopped before a bell tower. In short of any hesitation, he pummeled his shoulder through the already fractured double doors. The area was shadowed in darkness. A crescent moon shed light from above like a spotlight, highlighting the wooden walls threatening to collapse. Spiral steps led to a large bell at the very top.

With a crazed eye, the brute ran up the stairs. He ignored Kairi's objections as he watched the door below for that strange black cloak.

At the pinnacle, the bell hung inanimately. A hole through the wall led to a balcony where a solid gargoyle frowned upon the town. The deranged brute picked the princess up, standing tall before Radiant Garden.

"I'll show him who he shouldn't have messed with!"

"Stop! STOP!" Kairi pleaded. She fastened her eyes shut and braced herself, but she collapsed onto the balcony's surface. She opened her eyes.

The cloak figure had swiped one of the brutes wrists as blood poured ruthlessly from him. Agony fled from his mouth. He sounded curses of his pain. Roxas held his two Keyblades, ready to put an end to this creep that dared try to harm Kairi. He may not have been in love with her, but he cared about her, and wouldn't let anyone lay a hand on her.

Then he stopped. He stared at the scene before him and allowed it to sink in. Kairi's terrified expression and the other's pained one beckoned him to realize that this wasn't what he wanted. The brute had curled into a ball as he pathetically bawled over his injured wrist. Roxas allowed his Keyblades to rest at his sides. He didn't even notice the rain that tumbled down from the livid clouds that watched over such a scene. The droplets pattered against his cloak.

Kairi tried pushing herself up; her muscles twitched from the ache of her sudden fall. Roxas held her by her arm and gently helped her to her feet—they stood there lost in each other's gaze. She felt entranced by his recognizable impression, even without hearing his voice or seeing his face, something about him brought her tenderness.

She itched her hand closer to his hood. He didn't move a centimeter. "Is it really you…?" she asked quietly.

Why didn't he put a stop to this? He didn't want her to see his face, but his body betrayed him.

Roxas caught sight of the brute behind her with part of the gargoyle's head conked out of place. He upheld the broken statue, his anger pushing him through the pain of his wrist. He was ready to do damage. Roxas had been so engrossed with Kairi that he hadn't noticed. He shoved Kairi out of the way as he took the brunt of the hit.

"NO!" Kairi shrieked. She attempted to tug the statue away from the monster, but his strength overwhelmed her own. She was jostled to the ground as the brute bashed Roxas with his rudimentary makeshift weapon yet again.

Roxas refused to scream, despite the scorching pain. He refused to allow his voice to be audible.

The brute lifted the gargoyles head one last time, ready to put the pesky black cloak to a permanent slumber—but he was apprehended by a Keyblade, knocked to the ground.

Amaya landed on the balcony as she caught her twirling Keyblade. "Ha! I call that Strike Raid!" Her slight amusement simmered as she kneeled down to Kairi. "Annie, you're not hurt, are you?"

"I-I'm fine, but…" her eyes lowered to Roxas. Amaya turned to see him, but felt reluctance to be of his assistance. Was he trustworthy?

Kairi lightly touched Amaya's arm. "It's okay… he tried to save me. Besides, I think I know him…"

She nodded. "Okay, I'll take your word for it." She stood up and went over to help Roxas to his feet. Before she could even make it to him, the brute rose once again from his false ashes. Amaya, struck with shock, is belted down with a mean blow from the brute's knuckles.

Why did she feel so weak? The strength of the Keyblade should have offered her some sort of resiliency, but that proved bogus. Perhaps the opponent had some kind of ability to drain her power? Or had her disinclination to fight kick back in?

Her head rose to see Roxas battling against the brute, being very careful not to hit him one too many times with his Keyblades. If he did, the maddened man's life would be thin on a string. Killing wasn't the ambition, especially since this brute was clearly not thinking straight.

Kairi tried helping herself up, but her weak limbs pressured her. A hand grasped her shoulder. She looked up to see brunet spikes struck sharply to the sky.

"S-S-Sor," she stuttered.

He placed his index finger to his lips. "I got you." He hung Kairi's arm across his shoulders as he plunged her up. He gave her a slight smile. "One step at a time."

Their endeavors magnetically pulled the brute's attention as he marched off to detain them, but Roxas clutched onto his back—once again hindering him away from the Princess at all costs. Sora noted Amaya; she watched the scene unfold almost absent-mindedly.

"Amaya, get him!" Sora encouraged.

She grimaced to the demand. Roxas angled the brute for Amaya to get a cleaner shot. She aimed her Keyblade towards him with her firaga spell in draw range prepared to inflict sizzled harm. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger.

"Amaya, do something!" Kairi yelled.

Amaya dropped her Keyblade and fell to her knees. "I-I can't."

"You what?!" Kairi griped.

With the distraction, the brute was able to throw Roxas over. He laughed maniacally as he backed up, only realizing he had been nearing the edge of the stout terrace at the last second. Roxas wasted no time as he swept his leg under the brutes. The man descended, the rain blocking his vision, until he landed back first inside a dumpster, clogs of mush covered his plump body.

Roxas hung his head over the edge before he stood. He turned around and caught a glimpse of the remaining three. They stood in silence.

"Who are you?" Kairi asked.

Roxas contemplated the benefits and disadvantages of revealing his identity to her. The idea that she most likely knew who he was by now was at a high percentage. His fingers lightly gripped his hood. The thought of her looking into his eyes once again thwarted him from proceeding. He dove off the building before she could ask him any more questions.

That alone was enough to give Kairi the answer she was looking for. She didn't make a move as he escaped. Sora and Kairi's attention was soon magnetically gravitated towards Amaya.

Sora tugged Kairi with him as he straddled closer to Amaya. "You okay?"

Her eyes reflected uncertainty. "Uh—yeah."

"Sora, I think I'm okay now."

Sora released Kairi. She took a few moments to regain balance before she asserted to him that she could handle herself. Sora nodded back. He turned to Amaya and offered his hand. She accepted his palm as she massaged her temples.

"Come on, let's get down from here," Sora suggested.

They walked back down the stairs of the tower in a comfortable silence as the furious thunderstorms did a decent job at keeping the tranquility deprived awkwardness. They exited from the nearly deteriorated setting and ran to safety—anywhere that would grant them some shade from the endless droplets pecking at them accusingly.

They busted through the empty streets—the thunderstorms making its dissatisfaction heard loud and clear. When first established, Radiant Garden was not a place that prompted such near fatal displays of terror. It promised peace, harmony, and serenity. The actions that presently transpired were a disgrace to the Garden's forefathers. They did not approve.

Through the rain's frustration, Amaya led them to an abandoned stand that had been once used to sell items such as potions and ethers. She climbed in first. Sora placed Kairi inside but tried to be gentle due to her weakened leg, and he leaped inside as well.

The area was stout—offering a view to the outside as darkness shrouded most of the interior. Stray bottles spread across the sandy floor. They could hear rain pelting against the roof.

"There's no point in trying to go to the library now. With this rain, we might lose track anyway," Sora said disappointedly.

Amaya could feel for him. All he wanted was to see his sister, but the roadblocks for him in his path must have been nauseatingly enormous. "I'm sorry, Sora."

Sora didn't like when people apologized for no reason. It made him feel pathetic. "Not your fault."

Kairi's legs twitched until she was able to fully stand. She glared at Sora. "You IDIOT!"

Catching his attention, he turned around in confusion. "Huh?"

"Don't sit there and mope around because you couldn't see your sister! It's _your own _damn fault! You had the perfect opportunity to go see her, but you wasted it for my sake!" She gripped her hands. "Why did you come back?!"

"Why else do you think? For _you, _you ungrateful bitch! What would be the point in going to see Xion if I didn't know whether or not you were okay? Even if I did end up finally seeing Xion, it wouldn't be worth it if I found out that you got hurt!"

They glared daggers at each other as the gravity in the air did little to apprehend the curious mixture of animosity and affection building between them. Kairi wasn't sure if she felt grateful for his stupidity, or if she was infuriated by his stupidity.

"Dumb ass…" Kairi muttered. "Stupid idiot, I _wanted _you to go see your sister! After everything you've done for me, saving my ass all the time, it's the least you deserve. The fact that you wasted that opportunity for me is ludicrous. I haven't given you a reason to sacrifice seeing your sister just to save me. So, why…? Why would you do that?"

Amaya's eyes darted back and forth between the two. "Um, should I leave you two alone for a sec—"

"Hush!" Kairi demanded. She looked at Sora. "Why?"

He averted his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe I _was_ just being stupid."

"Yeah, you were! Next time, instead of worrying about everybody else all the damn time, how about you worry about yourself!" She marched to a corner and lays down on the cold floor. She shivered but maintained what little composure she still had. The fact that Sora would risk not seeing Xion just to save her was absurd. She didn't want to be the reason why his reunion with his sister had to be delayed any further.

Sora sighed, not knowing what her problem was. He couldn't tell if she was trying to be caring or if she just wanted to start an argument for no reason. He noticed Amaya shoulders slightly tensed. He chuckled nervously, trying to ease the pressure.

"Sorry if we made you a little uncomfortable."

She returned his nervous chuckles. "It's okay."

The two sat in awkward silence, not really knowing if they had a conversation brewing. "I think we ought to get some sleep as well," Amaya suggested. "It doesn't look like this rain is gonna let up any time soon. We can head over there in the morning."

The guilt hit him like a bullet. He shouldn't have been making so many excuses to procrastinate. A few weeks ago if he were in the situation that he had been placed in now, he'd fight through the rain if it meant he could see Xion again. And while he still felt that determination, it wasn't as strong as it once was. Now, he was willing to wait even longer to see her, but he had a bad feeling Kairi's influence had something to do about it.

"Sure."

Sora stared at the ruthless downpour. It seemed that yet _again _the universe decided to play games with his psyche. He longed to see her, to make sure she was okay, but her reach had extended to bounds he may have never had the chance to attain.

Amaya knew how hard this had to be for him—another detour entered his path to reach his sister once more.

"Sora…" she murmured.

His eyes were engrossed to the rain. "Just when I thought… I'd get to go home. I promised Xion, that I'd never leave. I ended up doing that and she must be so scared. She's been waiting… all this time… for me to come back."

She had never been in a similar situation like his before, hence, she couldn't relate. She wanted to comfort him but saying something that he may have found offensive was an intention she didn't want to provoke. He sighed as he folded his arms behind his head, lying down on the ground below.

"I guess she'll have to wait a little longer."

* * *

**Here's a darker chapter for you all! Took me four hours to revise and edit so I hope it came out okay! **

**I know what you're thinking. "FUUUUUU! Where's Xion?!" Sorry, not yet! Ha ha ha! I'm such a troll, it's not even funny. **

**I have a reason why I've been delaying the return of Xion so much. I had this idea when I first wrote her out of the story temporarily. I told myself that I wanted to wait a while before she ever came back because I knew that people would (hopefully) start to miss her the longer its put off. Now I do know there's a thing such as waiting TOO long before people start to just not care, but trust me, we won't reach that point (assuming we already haven't). **

**I don't want to keep you guys in the dark much longer so I'll try to get the next chapter out really soon! As in, by the end of this week type soon if I can get enough free time. **

**Tell me what you think in a review please! You don't know how much I appreciate reviews, especially when they're well put together, nicely written, and long! (*Cough* The Unknowing Herald *Cough* blissfulnightrain *Cough* you guys rock!) Great boosters to get me fueled to keep writing! I'd really appreciate some follows too, if you're interested to see where this goes! **

**I hope you enjoyed! **


	14. Time's Up

**Countdown initiated. **

Ten.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

They say that time swifts more rapidly as the years increase. To Sora, that couldn't have been a more false statement. In his world, time constantly dawdled. Through his underdeveloped eyes, time slept by the waking hours at a gradual pace. The mind played tricks on exposed victims to make them perceive time as hurried. Time to him was precious. He savored every second. Every moment vouched for the future. It was a gift taken for granted—yet the craving for more of it never satisfies. Instances pass by in milliseconds. The future becomes the past subsequently.

All it takes is one mishap—and time eats away at a poor soul devoid of mercy. Time can even deteriorate a body, clearly illustrating frail aging.

However, in his scarcely moment of wake, Sora could feel time content in its sluggish tempo. His eyes had been counting sheep for the past two hours. He didn't even know what the time was—but it had to be close to midnight. The thunderstorms hadn't relaxed. The rain and its scorn kept Sora alert. Sleep would be a waste of time. So he chose to lie there, wide awake yet weak, as the rest of the world slept at a gradual pace.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Nine.

He heard a moan. He darted an eye to watch as Amaya stirred in her sleep, but she barely shifted. She settled down into peace and Sora thought nothing more of it.

That was, until she spoke. "Sora… are you asleep?"

He waited a moment to ensure she was conscious and not sleep talking. But he noticed her attempting to sit herself up. "No."

Sora pushed himself up along with Amaya. They gave each other a smile.

"I can't sleep," Sora claimed.

"You mean you haven't slept a wink?"

"I'm an insomniac. It's hard for me to sleep when I can't stop thinking." He looked out into the blissful night rain. "I got a lot on my mind."

Amaya rubbed her eyes. She noticed Kairi behind them, fast asleep. "Well, at least she's comfy."

Her face slept soundly, shrouded in harmony. It was quite endearing to see Kairi at peace, not yelling curses or deconstructing his patience with her abnormal pride. She was actually—kinda cute. "Yeah…"

"So, what's the deal with you two?"

He skimmed through his brain to find the appropriate term to describe their relationship. His indolent eyes glossed over her sleeping outline. "We're close," he stated truthfully. That didn't mean they had to get along. Not necessarily.

"You seem close." She smiled back. "Seriously, you need to sleep. If you don't, you'll get sick. You're gonna need a good night's rest if you want to go see your sister tomorrow."

"Fine. But first, answer me a question."

Amaya yawned, still recuperating from her late night disturbance. "What's up?"

"What was that about earlier? You just froze up out of nowhere."

Her eyes broadened, but softened her along with her expression quickly. The question was inevitable. She stroked her arm softly. "Y-Yeah, I'm sorry. It's just that—I really don't like fighting all that much."

"But you're a Keyblade wielder."

"I know. I'm also a pacifist. It was part of the reason why I chose to keep my identity as a Keyblade wielder as a secret. I knew that if it ever got found out by any authorities they'd force me into joining them as extra law enforcement like they do with all Keybladers. That's—just something I'd rather not do."

The thought was jarring. Why would a Keyblade choose someone who detested warfare?

"I hate when I'm forced to fight," she continued. "I hate violence. I just wish things wouldn't have to be settled over aggression."

"You seemed pretty comfortable when you saved me from those heartless."

"I didn't have much choice. Something obligated me to help you, but I try to use my Keyblade as little as possible. That's why I couldn't do it—I couldn't use it to hurt that man. Even if I wasn't going to kill him, I couldn't pull through."

Sora wanted to feel for her, but the compassion didn't cook right. It only burned slightly. To him, fighting was a necessity. He had to fight for his needs throughout his whole life, so it'd only be natural he'd feel otherwise. He could still see where she was coming from.

"I understand."

Eight.

Her eyes focused on the ground, her awareness vanished. "Why did the Keyblade… choose me? The Keyblade, it's been said to have been the source of all ruin. So, why me? Why us? Are we personifications of what will lead the world to destruction? It's a bit of a scary thought, don't you think?"

"Ruin? Destruction?" Sora almost laughed. "Maybe you're thinking about this too much. I think—it all depends on what you do with the Keyblade. Are you going to bring peace, or bring ruin? Don't let the past or society influence what _you _do, because you're your own person. It's all up to you."

"Maybe you're right," she voiced monotonously, "or maybe you're just putty in the hands of destiny's twist of fate."

"Destiny? What are you talking about?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I might just be paranoid, but these Keyblades do a good job at keeping me frightened yet intrigued."

He nodded. "I know what you mean. Can't help the feeling that there's something you aren't telling me, though." She gulped. "Surely your pacifist lifestyle would be the sole reason your pain. So, what is it? What happened to you?" She remained unsure. "You can tell me anything."

"It's nothing."

She wouldn't budge. It was times like these when Naminé would have actually been useful as a conversation manipulator, but people are never around when you need them.

"Now get some rest. Seriously, unless you want to reunite with your sister looking like a zombie."

He chortled at how true that statement might have been. "Alright." He tried relaxing as he lied back down along with Amaya.

"By the way," she murmured, "what was your sister's name again?"

He inhaled a deep breath. "Xion."

Seven.

* * *

**Wake up**.

Claire jolted up from her sleep. Her panting was profound, relentless. She placed a hand to her chest until her heartbeat simmered down from the spark.

Her memory had been swiped from her last recall. She didn't remember the last time she was awake, nor did she remember falling asleep in the first place. She noticed that she remained garnered in her work attire. Hope was nowhere in sight. She rubbed her head as she let out a soft grunt. The room was dark, nothing but light from the window elucidated the glum background.

**BOOM! **

The sound of thunder alerted her. She looked over by the window to see the silhouette of a familiar figure.

"Glad to see you're finally awake," Lightning said monotonously. "You collapsed on us out of nowhere. You had me all worried."

She didn't sound very worried at all. Claire was sick of seeing this hallucination, it worn out the welcome it never received in the first place. She picked up an alarm clock on the drawer next to her and hurled it towards the delusion.

"Who _are _you?"

Without giving it a glance, Lightning caught the clock with her index finger and thumb. She eyed it with without interest before carelessly tossing it to the ground. "I'm you—you idiot."

"But that's impossible! It doesn't make any sense!"

"Oh? Or is that you're running away from the truth?" She turned around to face Claire, her arms behind her back.

"And… and what do you mean by that?"

"The halted truth that I am the embodiment of your closeted emotions. That anger you sought to obliterate is what I symbolize."

"I don't know what you're talking about! I changed because I wanted to! I didn't want to be a walking barrel full of anger any longer!"

Claire looked up to find Lightning no longer there. She felt cold—all alone in her struggle against herself. But why? Why were these illusions torturing her? What had she done to deserve this? It couldn't have been real, could it?

"I'm not real," Lightning said, reading Claire's thoughts. She had somehow ended up next to Claire as she sat beside her. "To be honest with you, I am a figment of your imagination. So being scared of me is a waste of time. Can't believe I have to explain this stuff to you though, I thought I'd be smarter than that."

Claire sighed, accepting the situation at hand. "If that's the case, then how is it possible that I can feel your touch?"

"Imagination lies dormant in the mind, but mind games are tricky. They can catch you off-guard if you're not careful. The mind is a lot more powerful than you may think."

"Oh, please. What a piss poor excuse. Tell me what you really are."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

Until it was able to sink in without denial in tow. Claire still couldn't relax completely—her goose bumps attested to that.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"My guess is about as good as yours. I'm you, remember? I'm only aware of exterior matters as long as you are. Of course, I'm only a figment. I haven't a choice in the matter at all."

"Well, if what you're saying is true—then, why is that you won't leave me alone?"

Lightning slightly chuckled. "I've been reawakened ever since you decided to get your mitts on the Keyblade back when you had to save our dear old hubby."

"Our? I think you mean mine."

Lightning sighed, growing tired of her counterpart's rejection to the truth. "No, that's not right. Whether I want to admit it or not, he's mine too. Because, you know, I _am _you." She scoffed. "Not that I particularly enjoy that statement, but…"

"But what?"

"Can't deny my feelings, especially to myself."

Six.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm in love with him too. It's actually quite irritating because deep down, I _want _to hate him. He's the entire reason you were able to so kindly toss me to the back of the bus."

"So, you're mad at him for turning me into a better person?" she asked, coldly.

"Well," she stated, slightly amused, "I see you still have a _little _bit of me left in you."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, our, or I suppose more preferably, _your_ husband, is what demoralized my purpose. You—we, we found love. No more animosity was needed. Me, I was long and forgotten, and it was all because of him. I can't tell you how bad I want to hate him. Every time I try to convince myself that I really do, it hurts, because I love him so much."

"So what are you gonna do, make me fall out of love with him?"

"No. That's such a stupid idea. I don't need to waste either of our time. I'm here for a different reason."

Claire waited for Lightning to proceed, but she never did. "Which is…?"

"To prepare you. Know this, Claire Farron, things are definitely about to change—for the worst, I might add, soon. _Very _soon. You need anger in the face of an impending threat."

"So you want to fill my heart with anger again? That doesn't exactly sound very healthy."

She shook her head. "You're jumping to conclusions. I simply want to inform you of balance. Balance is what's needed when against all odds. You need passion, determination, willpower, strength…" Lightning turned behind her to see Claire, "…anger."

Claire stared at the sheets below.

"Now, I'm not asking you to be who you once were. Which is, well, me, but what I am asking you of—is to try and understand where I'm coming from."

"And where exactly are you coming from?"

"You know, that boy of yours isn't so bad."

"Who? Sora?"

"Yeah, that kid. I mean, you can tell that he's a bit brash even if he won't straight up show it, but he's got a good heart. Remember what he said to us after getting Hope back?"

_"Lightning is a part of who you are. She represents the anger inside of you. I don't think it's okay to just run away from that anger. You have to confront it, and channel it at your own pace so that you can have full control of it. Isn't that what we all want? Balance with our emotions?"_

"Keep him around; he might be able to teach you a thing or two."

Claire remained silent.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Claire shot her a fierce glance. "Well what the hell do you _want _me to say?"

"Easy…" Lightning soothed. "No need for all of that."

"Hmph. I thought you wanted me to show more signs of my anger."

"I want you to balance it—not abuse it."

"And how do I do that?"

"Look inside your soul, young one, and beneath it, you shall find your destined answer."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Lightning stared at her. "I'm joking."

Claire stifled her laughter. "I didn't realize I had a terrible sense of humor back then."

"Yeah, yeah…" Lightning muttered. As if she hadn't heard that one before.

"So, what happened at the Sabre Mountains—what exactly, uh…"

"I was able to warp your psyche, especially since you had the Keyblade. My existence depends on that thing. I guess you could say I took advantage of you, and it kind of got out of hand, but hey, I have to get you to wake up somehow."

"Wake up? I-I… I don't really follow."

"Of course you don't. Just continue with this ignorant conduct you seem attached to and we'll see how far it gets you. I just have one last word for you."

"And what is that?"

Five.

"Hope."

**BOOM! **

Claire turned to her left to find Lightning had vanished. What did she mean by hope? Or was it that she meant… Hope?

Claire got out of bed and made her way into the hall. He wasn't in bed, so where could he be? She eventually came across him in the kitchen at the island counter. He looked miserable as Serah comforted him.

She stepped inside, neither of them noticing her yet, partly due to their backs turned towards her.

"Um, is everything okay?" Claire piped.

Hope turned around immediately, excitement in eyes. "Oh, thank God you're okay!" He immersed his wife into a big hug, which she didn't hesitate to return.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Wish I could tell you. You just passed out, out of nowhere." Hope parted from her to look into her eyes. "Claire, is there something you're not telling me?"

Claire avoided his gaze. She turned her head slightly to get a look inside the main foyer, where through the darkness that shrouded the room, she saw a feminine shadow. It was her silhouette walking down the aisle. She turned back to Hope, biting her lip. "I—"

Serah placed a hand on Hope's shoulder. She gave him a stern look. He nodded back to her as reassurance.

"Actually, we have something important to tell you, Claire," Serah said, uncharacteristically serious. "It's about Kairi."

* * *

"Wake up! Come on, you lazy bum—wake up!" yelled a hushed voice.

Sora opened his eyes slowly. Before he could even wake up entirely, he caught the severely determined gaze of Kairi above him.

"Get out of la la land, Sora. It's time to get up."

Sora rubbed his eyes before laying back down attempting to catch a few more winks. Kairi rolled her eyes as she pulled him up by his shirt, literally shaking him out of his snooze. Annoyed, Sora shoved her off. "I'm busy sleeping. Can't I ignore you some other time?"

She overlooked his comment as she pointed to the outside. "Look!"

He turned to his right to see the night sky—free from the angry rain and brutal thunderstorms. It had finally stopped. He returned his attention to Kairi. "What's your point?"

"Are you that dense? Let's go find Xion! We have the perfect opportunity!"

Four.

Kairi climbed out of the booth. After finally realizing what the hell was actually going on, Sora followed. He turned back to see Amaya, still asleep. "What about her?"

"_Forget _her!" Kairi yelled. "She's done her part. We're in the Market Place like she said. Now all that's left to do is head over to the library and we're set."

Sora couldn't shake the feeling. "We can't just leave her here, though. Don't you think she might get worried about us?"

"And whose problem is that? Not ours. Now _come on _already! Mister _I hate wasting time! _But that's exactly what you're doing!"

Sora chose not to argue. He was too tired to even bother talking some sense into the surprisingly wide awake and alert Princess. He gave Amaya one last look with apologetic eyes as he climbed out. He dusted his baggy pants off as he scanned the familiar area.

The Market Place, how long had it been? The last time he was here, he ended up getting caught in such an embarrassing fashion, tripping over a pile of oranges.

"Where to?" Kairi asked, her head bobbing all over.

He raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what the hell has gotten into you?" Her curious, yet insulted eyes asked for further elaboration. "How come you've suddenly become so determined to help me find my sister? It's not like you."

"Because you're stupid," she said, as if it were obvious. "If you had of just went on ahead and found Xion instead of stomaching over me earlier, we wouldn't have this problem!"

His gaze deepened, causing Kairi's heart to pounce. "So, what is this exactly? Guilt?"

"H-Huh?"

"Are you guilty because you can't seem to understand why I would risk not seeing my sister just to save you?"

Her silence gave him his confirmed answer. Funny, she could be so stubborn. They were alike in that aspect. She turned her eyes away from him. "You don't know anything," she grumbled, finally breaking her silence.

He chuckled. "I think I know plenty." His amusement was making the princess boil. "What I don't understand is why? Why feel guilt? I thought I was a meager peasant to you?"

She punched him in the shoulder—he stumbled back, not so much from the pain or force, but more from how unexpected it was. Though, by now, he really shouldn't have been surprised by anything Kairi did at this point.

"Um, ow! What the hell was that for?"

"You're so pretentious! Thinking you know everything! You don't know anything!" Kairi calmed herself down and released her fingers from her tight fists. "Why would you do that? You should have just went on ahead and found her. That's what you wanted right? I thought," she trailed, biting her lip with hesitation.

He moved a little closer, cautiously mind you. The princess was an endless ticking bomb. You strip the wrong wires and she blows up. He had to be sensitive with not only his motions, but also his speech. "You thought what?"

"I thought… that was why you wanted to see her. So that you wouldn't want to have to deal with a… a… a, well, you know—like me."

He raised a brow. "You mean a bitch?"

She growled at him.

His eyes widened. "Forget I said anything."

She sighed. "Yes. A bitch," she admitted. "I just don't get why you would do something like that. All I've been so far is the damsel in distress that you've constantly had to save. I can't even count how many times you've saved me."

"I have. It's been four times."

Her eye twitched. "Shut up, will you? I'm trying to create a moment."

"It kind of takes away from the moment when you have to bluntly state that you're trying to create a moment."

"Sora!"

"Okay, okay," he said with a smirk. "Listen, I get what you're saying, but I still think you're full of shit."

"Excuse me?"

"You really need to analyze our relationship a little bit more."

"I don't understand."

He chuckled. "Don't you get it? You may not be perfect, but you're still my responsibility. I can't just let you die. Sure, all we do is argue, you get on my nerves and make me want to throw up with your arrogance, but like I said—I don't hate you. And I don't want you to die."

Kairi was not easily swayed by affectionate words but she felt something different this time.

"Not to mention the guilt. What good would it be to find Xion knowing that your safety is in danger? Whether you or I want to admit it or not, Kairi, we _are _a part of each other's lives and there isn't much we can do about it either even if we wanted to." He smiled warmly. "We're stuck together. And I'm gonna be there for you, whether you like it or not."

"Sora…"

Sora sobered his expression as he coughed, but he gave her a small, sly grin in good nature. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Come on," she simply stated.

"Way ahead of you."

Three.

Sora went by memory as he traced his way through the marketplace. Vivid memories flooded back throughout the overall hallow town. Sora was able to pinpoint all of the booths where provisions were sold during work hours. The calm, yet cool breeze did little to restrain the chills up the pair's spines, but they pushed through it. After a while of a comfortable silence, Kairi spoke.

"Is this where you used to always steal your food?"

"The very same place. Looks like nothing's changed since I've been gone. Except for the fact that officer fat ass isn't around to hassle me."

Kairi looked the town over in wonder. It was bustling with excitement in the day, but it wasn't shy to reveal its eeriness at night. Despite the creepy, empty environment—certain serenity remained. Through her inattentive wandering, she bumped into Sora's back.

"Okay, you _really _need to stop doing that," Kairi complained. She noticed he didn't have a snide remark to return. She looked at his face to see him staring blankly at the big building in front of them. It was colored white with the paint nearly completely tattered. Windows had been bordered off.

"This is the place," Sora said, his voice nearly breathless. He couldn't believe he was finally here, after weeks of departure. His sister should have been in there. Xion was that close.

"We're here?" Kairi asked, her tone clearly voicing slight disappointment. In hindsight, she knew not to expect much. It wasn't like his peasant sister would be living in some luxurious rapture. She walked ahead. "Alright, let's go!"

Sora grabbed her by the wrist. She gave him curious eyes.

"Now what's the big deal?"

"I can't," he deadpanned. "This is too much. I can't go in there after abandoning her like I did. I left her all alone… to see her again, it'd be too much."

Sora wondered what had been the cause of his churning stomach. Ever since they met Amaya, with her putting them back on the right track, he had a severe stomach pain every time he thought about Xion. Her mere name rang horrid grumbles inside his bowels. With that, he felt a pang of hesitation. Why was this so scary?

"Don't tell me," she said in disbelief. "Is the _fearless _Sora Yukana actually pussying out right when things start to get a little interesting?" She shoved him back.

"Hey, watch it!"

"What happened to the Sora Yukana who told me about spitting fears in their faces? The spiel about not being nervous and that it was all just mind games? Oh yeah, I wonder where he went—definitely not the chump standing in front of me."

"It's not as easy as you think. How can you relate when you've never been parted with someone your whole life?"

She resented that, but chose to not speak of it. "The point is that you're being scared of nothing. It's not like it was your fault you got captured by those guards."

"If I hadn't been so careless back then—"

"Stop making excuses!" she interrupted. "I want the old Sora back. Go back to being a hard ass who didn't give a damn about anything, because wimpy Sora just isn't gonna cut it." She lightly punched him on the shoulder.

He chuckled. "You're right…"

Two.

"I know," she said as-a-matter-of-factly. She seized him by the hand. "We're doing this together."

"Kairi," Sora whined.

"I don't want to hear it!" She gave him a mischievous smile. "Now, let's go already!" She dragged him towards the main door. He pulled his hand away with a chuckle.

"This isn't the way I usually get in. Follow me." He jogged towards the alleyway and Kairi stayed in line with him. He came across the old ladder that led to the second floor balcony. He climbed it with anticipation building every bar of the ladder he grabbed. His fear had been compressed into nothing and rebuilt into excitement. He made it to the balcony and looked inside of the window with his hands cupped over his eyes as he squinted. He couldn't make anything out since the lights were off. He heard the princess's strained moans.

Sora turned to see Kairi struggling to get to the top. He took her by the hand and effortlessly pulled her up on the balcony along with him. He immediately returned his attention to the window.

"Is it through that window?"

Sora took a while to answer. "Yeah…"

He prayed that it wasn't locked as he took the handle and unhitched it from the pad. Great, it was unlocked. Now all that was left to do was scold Xion for leaving the window unlocked.

He stepped inside, being very careful not to make a sound. Kairi stepped in along with him. His eyes gradually looked over the room, giving it a thorough examination. Though the candles were not lit, he could see a little bit of the familiar environment from the light cast from the outside.

Kairi rubbed her hands all over her body in pleasure. "Mm…" she moaned. "It feels so warm in here…"

He was tempted to tell her how sexualized that came out, but he thought better of it. The place looked the same as he left it. The table sat there with a few books scattered across, the rows of shelves to its right. He found no sight of Xion.

If she weren't in this section, then she had to be further into the room. He placed his index finger on his lips as he gestured to Kairi. They walked carefully, making precise steps to ensure the noise contained to their ear range. Sora and Kairi made it through the aisles of books until Sora commanded their halt. He peeked around the corner of one of the shelves and squinted at the corner.

He saw a body crouched with its back turned towards him, shivering in a cold sweat, completely unaware of his presence. She had raven black hair cut short and wore a stained white tank top and black sweats.

Sora gushed with excitement as he walked out from the shelves inching closer to her. Kairi only sat back to watch.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Xion, it's me."

It took a moment before she answered—paralyzed by the voice. "S-S-S-S-S-Sor-Sor-Sor…?"

She turned around to see his face and…

She looked horrible.

Her eyes had deep black marks underneath them with scratches down her shoulder. Her once clean, porcelain skin was covered in sweat. She reeked of dirt and shame. She looked frightened at him, as if he were a ghost. She lost weight, and it didn't go unnoticed.

But what really stood out was the tiny sever of blood that almost subtly leaked from her wrist. In her hand was a knife—the one he used to use to cut their fruit. Was Xion about to commit suicide?

One.

"Xion… what happened to you?"

Time's up.

* * *

**SHE'S BAAAAAACCCKK! And hawhaaaaaaa...?! Committing suicide?! **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had the idea of this ever since I first wrote Xion out of the story, and I left whatever happened to her in the darkness. Because of that, not only did we get to focus more on Sora and Kairi, but it kept the mystery going! Now, here she is! And notice she comes back in chapter 14? And Xion was number 14 in the organization, y'know, kinda. **

**Anyway, I'm glad to have gotten this out. Been working on it constantly. I hope you like this and that it was a nice little cliffie for you! I'll try to get that next chapter up very soon. Read and review! **

**Btw, 54 favs and 60 follows? That is amazing! I love you all so so so much for that and I thank you all so much! I really appreciate it!**

**11/25/14 Whoops, never mind. Somebody unfollowed and unfavorited. But I still thank you all! **


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